That final movement took him ten meters… and now, there were only ten breaths of time until the rise of the East Ascension Sun was over.

That final movement put Meng Hao at a height of over 450,000 meters. He had now stepped… out of Planet East Victory and into… the starry sky!

In that instant, he felt an indescribable wave of light and heat bearing down on him. It seemed capable of melting him to nothing in an instant. At the same time, he also saw the yellow tree in the Tribulation Cloud suddenly begin to shoot toward him.

All of these things literally happened in the blink of an eye.

In the moment that he made that final move out into the starry sky, his Dharma Idol materialized behind him, and it wasn’t 15,000 meters tall anymore, but rather 21,000 meters!

21,000 meters was comparable to a stage 7 Immortal, or an Immortal with 70 opened meridians. To most ordinary cultivators, a stage 7 Immortal would be considered the peak of the Immortal Realm.

The reason Meng Hao had a Dharma Idol 21,000 meters tall was not because he had seventy Immortal meridians. No, he still only had one. However, he was hovering on the verge of a breakthrough.

Now that he had a true Immortal fleshly body, his aura had been stimulated significantly, which caused the Immortal meridian to be further solidified.

However… even though it wasn’t complete, it was enough that Meng Hao was now able to use the most powerful divine ability he had been enlightened regarding… the Paragon Bridge!!

He had begun to contemplate enlightenment of this divine ability in the Ruins of Immortality! The Paragon Bridge!

Many people had seen the manifestation of the divine ability, so if he used it now, his ident.i.ty as Fang Mu would be revealed. However, he had prepared beforehand, so when he unleashed the Paragon Bridge, it did not look like a bridge, but rather, a huge tree.

The huge, ancient tree that appeared around Meng Hao was in fact the Paragon Bridge. As it materialized, it exploded with a supreme level of energy.

That burst of energy dispelled the light and the heat, and then rumbled toward the Tribulation Cloud.

When it struck the cloud, Meng Hao’s entire cultivation base surged, pouring all of its power into the tree-form Paragon Bridge as it went all-out in attack!

BOOOOMMM!

A huge explosion resulted when the two ma.s.sive trees collided. The Tribulation Cloud’s tree trembled and then… unexpectedly collapsed, layer after layer, eventually shattering into fragments.

Simultaneously, the Paragon Bridge shook, and then faded away. The Paragon Bridge was powerful, but Meng Hao’s cultivation base currently wasn’t powerful enough to be able to use it to full effect. However, by going all-out with every bit of power he could, even to the point of adding in the power of his life force and soul, he destroyed the Tribulation Cloud completely.

Meng Hao trembled and coughed up a mouthful of blood. It was a completely and utterly shocking event to witness.

Never before had anyone fought back against Immortal Tribulation by destroying it completely. Furthermore, the boundless power of the Paragon Bridge was incredibly domineering.

As the Tribulation Tree shattered, and the Tribulation Cloud dispersed, bursts of Immortal qi shot toward Meng Hao. They entered his body through his pores, filling him, transforming his body so that as of this moment, he truly and utterly possessed an Immortal body. He was now a true Saint!

Immortal qi poured into him with unbridled frenzy, giving him the qualification to be in the starry sky and look at the sun. Even though it was the barest of possible qualifications, s.n.a.t.c.hing himself out of the mouth of death for a few brief moments, to Meng Hao… it was still enough!

Using the nourishment of the Immortal qi, he hovered there calmly in s.p.a.ce, ignoring the Tribulation Cloud and its tree, resisting the heat and the light. All of what he had done… was for these ten breaths’ worth of time.

He stared at the huge sun, bolstered by the Immortal qi and sustained by his true Immortal fleshly body. Even still, only someone in the Dao Realm could possibly stand up to the terrifying power of the sun. Therefore, he began to melt. After only three breaths of time, his legs were completely melted. After six breaths of time, his arms and body were gone. However, his eyes remained, staring fixedly at the sun.

Enlightenment flickered in his mind. Natural law, a Daoist magic, poured into his thoughts. He quickly absorbed it, and at the same time, completely maintained his composure. This was not a disregard toward death. No, Meng Hao knew… that he wouldn’t die!

After seven breaths of time, his body was a blur. By eight breaths of time, only one eye remained unmelted. By nine breaths of time, his head had collapsed.

In the moment of death, he only had one eye left, which continued to stare fixedly at the sun. He was not the least bit alarmed. Everything that had occurred since he stepped out into the starry sky was exactly as he had antic.i.p.ated ahead of time. Nothing unexpected had occurred.

At last, the final breath of time… arrived!

In the moment in which Meng Hao’s consciousness was about to fade away, the huge sun began to fade. At the same time, Meng Hao could see a profound natural law. A huge shadow suddenly appeared in front of the sun, completely eclipsing it.

The shadow obscured the sun, causing everything in the starry sky to go pitch black. The light and heat faded away without a trace.

The deadly, scorching heat that surrounded Meng Hao was gone. His Eternal stratum immediately began to restore him, and in the s.p.a.ce of a few breaths, his body once again appeared in the starry sky.

He looked up, his expression the same as it had been the entire time, calm and unruffled. He looked out into the darkness of the starry sky, and, although he saw nothing, he could sense the sun’s presence.

“The Ninth Mountain just eclipsed the sun….” he murmured. In his mind, he recalled the scene of the sun being covered up, and the natural law of the sun that he had been contemplating during those ten breaths of time.

Finally, he closed his eyes, gathered together the fragmented images of what had just occurred, and then settled himself cross-legged. In that same moment, numerous figures suddenly flew up from Planet East Victory. Fang Xi’s father was among a group of over a hundred individuals, each and every one of whom was… a powerful expert from the direct bloodline.

Their expressions were that of excitement, and as they neared Meng Hao, they realized what he was doing, and they were shocked.

“He’s contemplating enlightenment!”

“Only Dao Realm experts can face the sun in the starry sky, but this kid was able to do it, even with his cultivation base. It was only ten breaths worth of time, but to him, such good fortune is astonis.h.i.+ng!”

“We can’t let anyone disturb him.” The direct bloodline Elders immediately took positions around Meng Hao to act as Dharma Protectors. Soon, other direct bloodline members approached in excitement and also took positions as Dharma Protectors.

Amidst rumbling, Planet East Victory resumed its previously-halted rotation. The light of the sun faded away, and night fell.

The rising of the East Ascension Sun was over, and the opportunity for good fortune had ended.

Fan Dong’er and the other Chosen left Planet East Victory with varied emotions. However, as they flew out toward the starry sky, each and every one took a long and hard look at Meng Hao.

Zhou Xin, Song Luodan, w.a.n.g Mu, Taiyang Zi, Sun Hai, Li Ling’er… all of them were the same.

As they pa.s.sed by, they saw the direct bloodline members surrounding Meng Hao, and all of them murmured a sentence or two to themselves.

Zhou Xin looked at Meng Hao and quietly said, “I’m going to go back, head into secluded meditation, and not come out until I’ve reached true Immortality!”

“Unless something unexpected happens,” Li Ling’er said, glaring angrily at Meng Hao, “I’ll reach true Immortality within a hundred days!” With that, she turned and sped off in her flying shuttle.

“Fang Hao,” Fan Dong’er said through grated teeth, “based on all of the preparations we’ve made, each and every one of us will directly rise to the peak of the Immortal Realm, and open 90 or more Immortal meridians….”

“I hope you keep working hard,” w.a.n.g Mu said, clenching his fists at his side. “Otherwise… when you step into true Immortality, you’ll leave me plenty of opportunity to exceed you!”

They left, and the focus of the Fang Clan became Fang Hao. To most people, he had now superseded Fang Wei… to become the number one Chosen of his generation.

Fang Wei remained silent as he returned to a location deep in the ancestral mansion with his father and grandfather. He refused to admit defeat, and went down to his subterranean chamber, where his eyes glinted with determination as he looked back at his father and grandfather.

“I’m going to cultivate… the One Breath Yellow Springs Incantation!” he declared.

When his father heard this, his expression flickered.

“Absolutely not!” his father replied angrily. “It’s one of the four great signature magics of the Fang Clan, but it’s not complete. It’s far, far more dangerous than the One Thought Reincarnation Incantation. You have the mark of the Sixth Patriarch on you, and will be in charge of the Fang Clan in the future. You can’t lose control of your Dao heart because of one measly defeat!”

“But it’s the Fang Clan’s most powerful Dao,” Fang Wei replied calmly. “With it, 98 Immortal meridians can be opened, which is four more than the One Thought Reincarnation Incantation. I think that will be very pleasing to the Sixth Patriarch!”

Fang Wei’s father was about to say something further when Fang Wei’s grandfather stopped him. He looked deeply and Fang Wei, and then said, “Have you thought this through clearly?”

“Very clearly,” Fang Wei replied softly, closing his eyes. “I shall cultivate the One Breath Yellow Springs Incantation. If I use this Dao to achieve Immortal Ascension, then within one hundred days, I’ll either fail and sink into the Yellow Springs, or succeed and open 98 Immortal meridians!

“Father, grandfather, if I fail, then return Fang Hao’s items to him.

“However, if I succeed, then it means he was doomed from birth to help me achieve my goals!” His eyes sparkled with a piercing light.

Fang Wei’s father did not respond. However, his eyes glittered as he nodded his head, then turned and left the hidden chamber.

Fang Wei’s grandfather held his tongue. Seeing Fang Wei’s determination, he sighed. At the same time, his heart surged with the desire to slay Meng Hao.

“It doesn’t matter whether Wei’er succeeds or not,” he thought. “Fang Hao… you won’t live past a hundred days!” Face dark, he turned and left.

Time pa.s.sed. After the end of the Rise of the East Ascension Sun, all of the Chosen in all of the various clans and sects of the Ninth Mountain and Sea began to go into secluded meditation.

It was time for them… to break through to the true Immortal Realm!