Chapter 586: I’ll Take You the Rest of the Way

　　The Seven Paragons instantly began to grow even more shocked.

　　“The voice of Lord Li!!”

　　“Impossible! Lord Li is sleeping! If he had woken up, then the three Demon Mountains would immediately shine for tens of millions of meters in all directions, and the two Holy Lands would be unsealed. Everyone would know, and all the experts in the Ninth Mountain and Sea would come to offer their respects!”

　　“This isn’t Lord Li, but it’s definitely his voice? But why?”

　　“Something about the voice seems off… as if it’s weak?”

　　As everyone in the outside world was astonished, in the 80th level of the Demon Immortal Pagoda, everything was collapsing. Meng Hao sat cross-legged on top of Patriarch Reliance. Up ahead of him was a violet-colored mark that flickered with violet light.

　　As the light spread out, the collapsing world grew silent, and everything stopped moving.

　　The voice echoing about in the outside world could also be heard around Meng Hao, and its source… was none other than the violet mark in front of him.

　　The top 10 Daoist magics didn’t require enlightenment, just good luck. After acquiring one of them, if destiny called for it, it would become a seed of Daoist magic. If there was no connection, no amount of pleading would do any good.

　　Meng Hao raised up his right hand silently. As soon as it touched the violet mark, a tremor ran through his body. The violet mark fused through his finger into his body. Then, it magically appeared in his mind, transforming into an illusory scene.

　　Within that scene, he could see a vague figure lifting its hand up. As it lifted its hand up, a first Heaven arose. Another wave of a hand caused it to split into two, forming two Heavens.

　　In the end, there were nine. Nine Heavens Destruction. All things become ancient.

　　“You have a destiny that is connected to this magic. I deliver this Dao to you…. It complements the Withering Flame Demon Magic…. I’ve been waiting a long time. Could it be that you’re the one I’ve been waiting for? Come. Pass the 99 levels. Pass the three mountains. Pass the two lands. If you can come to stand in front of me… if you can win my approval… then you… are my successor.” When Meng Hao opened his eyes, the voice seemed to continue to echo in his ears. His eyes were filled with blankness, but they quickly grew clear.

　　Within his mind, the violet symbol transformed into the seed of a great Dao. However, it was rough, unrefined. Meng Hao would need to continue to contemplate it before being able to unleash it fully.

　　As he opened his eyes, the world in front of him resumed its collapse. As it did, the 81st level neared.

　　“That voice….” thought Meng Hao, his eyes filled with a touch of perplexity. “Something seemed odd about the voice. His status was definitely different than the average person. The way he spoke was the same. He… who was he?” He took a deep breath and looked at the bag of holding given him by Ke Yunhai. The Demon Stones, talismans, and magical items therein were already running low. However, the two Daoist magics that he most wanted to acquire hadn’t appeared.

　　“The Nine Heavens Treasured Body Seal, and the secret technique of Fleshly Sanctification….” Meng Hao’s eyes glittered. Without hesitation, he slapped his hand down onto Patriarch Reliance. The turtle, feeling as wronged as ever, shot toward the 81st level.

　　As soon as they entered it, roaring filled the area and rose up into the sky. Meng Hao’s protective shield was surrounded by the vast quantities of talismans and magical items that he tossed out into the air. Wailing and shrieking, Patriarch Reliance used all his evasion abilities as they roared along.

　　81st level. 82nd level….

　　Meng Hao charged forward, forcing his way up. He used the magical items and talismans given him by Ke Yunhai to force his way through every barrier. As he proceeded onward, the disciples of the Demon Immortal Sect panted. As of now, they had to admit that… Meng Hao was obviously about to reach the pinnacle!

　　83rd!

　　84th!

　　85th!

　　The glow of magical items seeped out from within the pagoda, shining on everything in the area. By the time Meng Hao reached the 87th level, the entire area was filled with a bright glow. He was using up even more Demon Stones, as well as vast quantities of talismans. More than half of his magical items had been destroyed.

　　Using this unsightly method in which no cost was spared, he finally forced his way to the 89th level.

　　As soon as he entered, the view around him changed. What appeared in front of him was, shockingly, an ancient battlefield. Countless Cultivators could be seen in all directions, all of them engaged in fierce warfare.

　　As soon as Meng Hao appeared in the middle of the battlefield, the Daoist magics of all the surrounding countless Cultivators roared directly toward Meng Hao’s shield, instantly causing it to almost be destroyed.

　　The level of difficulty here was unprecedented as far as Meng Hao was concerned. Heaven and Earth shook; all he could do was throw out more and more talismans, and destroy more and more magical items.

　　Despite everything, the 89th level was difficult beyond compare.

　　He was currently positioned in the exact center of the battlefield, the ends of which were not visible. Besieged on all sides, this was a position the he was fundamentally incapable of reaching on his own. Even with all the talismans and magical items forged with Ke Yunhai’s life force, it was still difficult for him to make even the slightest progress.

　　Countless Cultivators and innumerable divine abilities seemed to be on the verge of completely overwhelming him.

　　His face was pale white, and Patriarch Reliance appeared to be on the verge of gasping his last breath. As it turned out, he actually had no hatred for Meng Hao. During their path of battle up to this point, they had even come to form something almost like a friendship.

　　“At the most, I can hold out for twelve more breaths….” thought Meng Hao, his face flickering. He would quickly run out of Demon Stones, talismans, and magical items. In twelve breaths of time, he would no longer be able to fight back, and he would be teleported out in defeat.

　　“Don’t tell me I’m really going to have to wait for that second chance….” he thought, breathing in deeply. He didn’t want to have a second chance. He wanted to get everything he needed in one shot. If he was forced to try a second time, it would mean Ke Yunhai would have to forge even more magic items for him. Meng Hao wasn’t willing to see that happen.

　　In this critical moment, the Demon Immortal Sect disciples on the outside were watching with rapt attention. Everyone was thinking different things; however, virtually, all of the Cultivators from South Heaven were hoping beyond hope that Meng Hao would fail.

　　They desired nothing more than Meng Hao to falter here. It was a case of ‘if I can’t have it, then nobody else can have it either.’ Almost as if their negative thoughts were actually effective in some way, Meng Hao had already wasted nearly an hour in the 89th level.

　　From the perspective of the onlookers, the glow of magical items was beginning to shrink and grow dim. This caused the South Heaven Cultivators to start to get a bit excited.

　　One of the Array Cultivators from the Eastern Lands Ji Clan was usually quite proud of the fame of his name. However, he apparently forgot that momentarily and suddenly said, “He’s gonna fail!! Hahaha! He opened the devil’s gate and strode a crooked path with his corrupt methods! But in the end, he has no way to achieve victory. He definitely won’t be able to get past this level!

　　“Heaven and Earth are deep and profound; the wind is vast and mighty. Cultivators like us must rely on our own power! How could we possibly rely on the power of others? This guy has had an unfair advantage today, so he will certainly meet defeat in the end!”

　　Even as everyone railed against Meng Hao, as everyone hoped that he would fail, the glow of his magical items continued to shrink down and get darker.

　　However… it was at this moment that Ke Yunhai’s eyes filled with determination. He suddenly sprang into motion, moving with incredible speed to appear outside the 89th level. He lifted his hand, within which appeared his Paragon’s medallion. His expression was solemn, and his hair whipped about him as he raised the medallion up to push it against the surface of the tower.

　　The other six paragons saw what he was doing and instantly began to speak to attempt to stop him.

　　“Yunhai, you can’t!”

　　The Seventh Paragon, the old man with the transcendent demeanor, seemed especially moved. He directly appeared next to Ke Yunhai and said, “Yunhai, think three times before you do this!”

　　Ke Yunhai was silent for a moment. Looking at the Seventh Paragon, he said, “My limit has been reached. I won’t live more than a few more months.”

　　The old man hesitated, looking at Ke Yunhai for a long moment before finally sighing. “If you do this, I’m afraid you won’t even last that long.”

　　“Old Seventh, you have lived your life for the Dao, and have no children. You don’t understand the responsibility of being a father. Right now, I only have one child, Jiusi. It doesn’t matter when exactly I return to the dust. I just hope that after I leave, he can be as happy as before.

　　“Jiusi has always been a silkpants, and I’ve never been able to rest at ease because of that….” Ke Yunhai sighed and glanced at the other Paragons. “But now, he’s chosen the path of body tempering. Since that’s the case, I will spare no effort to help him acquire the Nine Heavens Treasured Body Seal and… the mysterious art of Fleshly Sanctification.” Without any further hesitation, he shoved his Paragon’s medallion up against the outside of the pagoda.

　　When they touched together, Ke Yunhai’s body suddenly trembled. He was old to begin with, but now he grew even older. His aura instantly grew weaker.

　　It was at this same time that, Meng Hao, within the 89th level, ran out of talismans. His magical items were exhausted, and his protective shield was virtually completely faded. Booming sounds could be heard as it began to explode.

　　“It’s over….” he sighed. He watched as the shield exploded, and countless magical techniques threatened to overwhelm him. However, it was at this moment that a towering figure suddenly appeared to stand in front of him.

　　The figure’s face was the same one that Meng Hao had seen when he first arrived in this world…. Ke Yunhai.

　　Ke Yunhai stood by Meng Hao, as if he were his entire world. He was like a tree, protecting Meng Hao from the wind, blocking all of the countless divine abilities shooting toward him.

　　The divine abilities, Daoist magics, and countless figures, all suddenly came to a standstill. Everything grew still; the entire world became quiet.

　　When Meng Hao saw the figure, he trembled. His heart seized as he realized that he recognized the figure as…. Ke Yunhai.

　　Ke Yunhai smiled at Meng Hao, then reached out and tousled his hair. A doting smile appeared on his face. A look appeared in his eyes that seemed to say that no matter the occasion, the person there in front of him was his young boy, still not yet grown up.

　　“Jiusi, don’t be afraid. Daddy’s here to take you the rest of the way.”

　　It was a simple sentence, but as soon as Meng Hao heard it, it caused uncontrollable emotions to swell up within him. He thought of his own father, but at the same time, the image of his own father that existed in his mind seemed to overlap with Ke Yunhai. In this moment, he actually forgot that he wasn’t really Ke Jiusi!

　　“Dad….” he said, gaping at Ke Yunhai. One breath earlier, he had been on the verge of failure. The next breath, he had hope. The intensity of the reversal was such that the image of Ke Yunhai was branded onto his heart…. It was the image of… a father.

　　“Don’t worry,” laughed Ke Yunhai. “Your dad isn’t dead yet. We’re going to get through this battle together. Our dad and son team is going to pass this level together!” With that, he turned and waved his hand. Heaven and Earth began to collapse, and a terrifying, indescribable power transformed into a roaring whirlpool that began to sweep about. As it expanded, everything it touched, collapsed. The sky grew blurry, and all the figures in the area were transformed into flying ash.

　　Next to Ke Yunhai suddenly appeared a floating oil lamp. The wick of the lamp was a phoenix and its body was a dragon!

　　Meng Hao took a deep breath, and his heart filled with incredible enthusiasm. He nodded his head, then stood up by Ke Yunhai, by his father, and proceeded forward.

　　One in front, one behind. One father and one son!

　　Patriarch Reliance’s eyes went wide as he stared at Ke Yunhai. His mind trembled, and his expression filled with fear. His head shrank back into his shell as the gleam of realization filled his eyes. Now he understood Meng Hao’s background.

　　“Dammit. His dad’s a Paragon! No wonder he’s so crazy. No wonder he can bully me so easily!”