At Boundary Stele Mountain, Lu Changsheng wore a grave expression.
He stared fixedly dozens of paces away at a terrifying monster with the head of a bull and the body of a man.
A demon!
The creature radiated black demonic power as thick as dark ink.
Furthermore, baleful qi billowed off it like waves of scorching heat; even from dozens of paces away, Lu Changsheng could feel the buffeting impact of that malice.
Danger!
This was the first time Lu Changsheng had ever seen a demon, and purely by instinct, he sensed a sliver of mortal peril.
A demon's baleful qi did not form naturally.
Only by slaughtering countless lives could such horrifying baleful qi condense.
In fact, gazing at the baleful qi wreathing the creature, Lu Changsheng seemed to gain a deeper comprehension of "slaughter."
Vaguely, a spark of inspiration flashed through his mind.
It seemed on the verge of transforming into a Slaughter Conception.
Indeed, with just a single glance at this demon, Lu Changsheng was already on the cusp of comprehending the martial conception of slaughter.
That alone showed how heavily soaked in slaughter this demon was.
Demons were inherently bloodthirsty; most of them possessed monstrous killing intent, and whenever they encountered human martial artists or Immortal Masters, a fight to the death was inevitable.
Thus, Lu Changsheng had no way to escape; he had already been targeted.
Lu Changsheng was on high alert.
There were countless rumors circulating among martial artists.
Yet regardless of the rumor, human martial artists seemed invariably at a disadvantage when confronting demons.
In fact, not only martial artists—even Immortal Masters were often disadvantaged.
Demons were exceedingly difficult to kill!
If one encountered a demon with innate supernatural abilities, it was even more horrifying.
Lu Changsheng could sense that the demon before him was exceptionally powerful.
Facing it directly, Lu Changsheng felt as though his entire body were being dissected by the creature's gaze.
In the demon's eyes, it seemed to be appraising a piece of "food."
That look sent a slight chill through Lu Changsheng's heart.
"A human, and a martial artist to boot."
"I love devouring the flesh and blood of human martial artists; it tastes far better than the frail bodies of those immortal path cultivators."
The demon licked its lips, its eyes burning with eager hunger.
"You want to eat me?"
Without a second thought, Lu Changsheng struck.
"Sever!"
Instantly, the Mind Sword within his brain domain vibrated.
*Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!*
Ten strikes!
A full ten Mind Sword strikes sank into the demon's body in an instant.
And that was only the beginning.
Lu Changsheng knew the demon before him was terrifyingly powerful, so he had to go all out and never give it the slightest breathing room.
*Buzz!*
As the Mind Swords cleaved forth, Lu Changsheng's domains descended.
And five domains descended all at once!
Yes, five domains.
The Tempest Domain, Ocean Wave Domain, Starry Sky Domain, Waterfall Domain, and Saber Domain!
All five domains materialized, fully manifesting into reality.
"Roar..."
The demon was thoroughly enraged.
Having its spirit cleaved by the Mind Swords caused it agonizing pain.
Not to mention that five domains were now bearing down to suppress it.
The demon's body instantly began to swell.
*Crack, crack!*
From a height of a little over ten feet, its frame ballooned to over thirty feet tall.
This was demonization!
Only after demonization was its true demon body revealed!
Lu Changsheng stared at the thirty-foot-tall true demon body in the distance.
Waves of baleful qi swept outward, billowing across the surroundings.
"Kill!"
With a thought, Lu Changsheng unleashed all five domains simultaneously.
*Whoosh!*
Within the Saber Domain, countless sharp blades seemed to materialize, raining down upon the demon in an instant.
Surging ocean waves rolled in, crashing violently against its body.
A tempest raged across the void.
And from within the pitch-black starry sky, a hundred-zhang waterfall cascaded from the heavens, as if meant to wash away all creation.
*Boom!*
A muffled explosion rang out.
Then, everything fell silent.
Blades, waves, tempest, and the starry sky's waterfall.
All five domains had materialized, overlapping in a single instant.
The hundred-zhang-high waterfall, in particular, crashed down from the sky and instantly washed the demon's body clean.
Silence!
Everything around them fell completely quiet.
Lu Changsheng held his breath, his expression exceedingly grave.
He had deployed a wide array of techniques, which seemed intricate, yet all of them had been executed simultaneously within a single breath.
Lu Changsheng had even been prepared to use a Shift Talisman.
The moment anything went wrong, he would crush the talisman and flee immediately.
The dust and smoke settled.
Lu Changsheng looked toward the spot where the demon had stood.
However, the ground there was completely empty.
"It's dead..."
Lu Changsheng relaxed slightly.
The demon was dead, obliterated to ashes directly by the Waterfall Domain.
Furthermore, trapped within his five layers of domains, not even escape arts could have allowed it to slip away, let alone a demon.
Yet just moments ago, this demon had been fiercely aggressive, billowing with baleful qi, forcing Lu Changsheng to go all out and even prepare an escape route.
In the end, that was all?
"Demons are quite a bit weaker than I imagined..."
Lu Changsheng was merely a newly ascended Divine Treasury practitioner.
He had only just finished nurturing a single domain to perfection.
However, as Lu Changsheng analyzed the situation carefully, he realized something.
Having fought both demons and Five Elements Spirit Beasts, he had fundamentally grasped their respective combat capabilities.
Needless to say, the Five Elements Spirit Beasts were far too weak.
Previously, Lu Changsheng had assumed his Mind Sword happened to counter the spirit beasts.
Yet this demon had genuinely been formidable.
Even among demons, it would never have been considered weak.
And yet, such a powerful demon had still perished.
"An Immortal Master's combat strength relies on a comprehensive suite of dharma artifacts, talismans, formations, and spells."
"A demon's strength relies on demon bloodlines, physical flesh, and innate abilities."
"A Divine Treasury martial artist's strength relies on materializing domains and mental secret methods!"
"Therefore, the actual combat strength of a Divine Treasury practitioner has nothing to do with how vast their brain domain is!"
A sharp gleam flashed in Lu Changsheng's eyes.
He had never truly synthesized these concepts before.
Only after fighting both spirit beasts and demons at Boundary Stele Mountain did he thoroughly analyze the methods of a Divine Treasury martial artist.
Many Divine Treasury martial artists relied on rare treasures to expand their brain domains.
Treasures took precedence, while domains were secondary.
As for secret methods that could be accommodated within a brain domain, those were even rarer.
Hence, a Divine Treasury practitioner's strength did not depend on the breadth of their brain domain, but rather on how many domains and secret methods they had nurtured within it.
When Lu Changsheng had just broken through to the Divine Treasury realm, he already possessed four combat domains, and after nurturing another, he had five.
On top of that, he had the mental secret method, the Mind Sword Mantra Formula.
What was more, his five domains could fuse with one another into two even stronger fused domains!
Taking all of this together, Lu Changsheng's strength was actually terrifying.
An ordinary "newly ascended" Divine Treasury cultivator could not compare to him in the slightest.
Even so, it still was not enough.
Only five combat domains.
Lu Changsheng felt that without dozens of domains to protect himself, he simply could not feel secure.
Lu Changsheng turned to leave.
However, as he passed a patch of grass, he cast a deep, knowing glance toward it.
In the end, he did nothing and walked straight away.
Shortly after Lu Changsheng departed, the patch of grass gradually shifted.
Finally, five figures emerged.
They were unexpectedly five Divine Treasury martial artists!
"Was that person a Divine Treasury practitioner just now? That was utterly terrifying! Five domains descending at once, paired with a mental secret method—that terrifying demon was blasted into oblivion without even leaving a corpse behind!"
"Thank goodness we had a concealment formation and spent a hefty sum on spirit stones to keep it running. Otherwise, if that Divine Treasury expert had noticed us, we would have been in deep trouble."
"Indeed, this formation is truly practical. That slaughtered demon had actually spotted us and chased us down, but once we activated the formation, it lost track of us. That Divine Treasury expert clearly couldn't find us either."
"Is that so? Do you truly believe that Divine Treasury expert didn't notice us?"
"In truth, that powerful expert noticed us long ago. For whatever reason, he simply chose not to strike. We ought to count our blessings."
"Let's get out of here quickly. We originally came to Boundary Stele Mountain to capture Five Elements Spirit Beasts, but after searching for so many days, we haven't found a single one, only to encounter such a terrifying martial artist and a demon. Let's go!"
Those five Divine Treasury martial artists had broken into a cold sweat just now.
Without hesitation, the five quickly departed.
Meanwhile, Lu Changsheng remained at Boundary Stele Mountain, searching for Five Elements Spirit Beasts.
Finally, another month passed.
"The Sword Domain has reached perfection!"
Lu Changsheng sensed the changes within his brain domain.
*Rumble!*
His brain domain rapidly expanded to nine li.
With a thought, the Sword Domain descended instantly, shifting from ethereal illusion to solid reality.
Like the Saber Domain, the Sword Domain excelled at offense.
This undoubtedly enriched Lu Changsheng's offensive repertoire.
Lu Changsheng understood clearly that the range of his brain domain did not represent an increase in raw combat strength.
Only by nurturing more domains to perfection would his true power grow.
As of today, Lu Changsheng possessed six combat domains, marking an enormous leap in his overall strength.
Lu Changsheng focused his attention and checked his attribute panel.
Host: Lu Changsheng
Brain Domain: Nine li
Comprehension: 4870 (Praised in All Directions)
Mind Sword Mantra Formula: 7% progress (Jade Mind Sword)
Slaughter Domain: (Nurturing)
Lu Changsheng discovered that nurturing the Mind Sword Mantra Formula within his brain domain was a very slow process.
A month of nurturing advanced its progress by roughly 3%.
He had been nurturing the Mind Sword in his brain domain for two months now; adding that to the initial 1%, the Mind Sword Mantra Formula had reached 7% progress.
In truth, such a pace was decent.
In roughly three years, Lu Changsheng's Mind Sword Mantra Formula would reach perfection once more.
When that time came, the Mind Sword would undergo another metamorphosis.
This secret method seemed integrated with cultivation arts, appearing to hold boundless potential.
At present, Lu Changsheng was nurturing the Slaughter Domain.
He had comprehended the Slaughter Conception at Boundary Stele Mountain, and later consumed two Dao Comprehension Pills to evolve the martial conception into the Slaughter Domain.
It would only take one month to nurture the Slaughter Domain to perfection.
Once the Slaughter Domain was perfected, Lu Changsheng's brain domain would expand to ten li.
At that point, he could attempt to refine a Realm-Anchoring Stone, making his brain domain even more stable while boosting the speed and efficiency of domain nurturing.
Conversely, the Five Elements Spirit Beasts were becoming increasingly difficult to catch.
In a whole month, Lu Changsheng had only managed to capture around twenty of them.
Right now, inside his spatial ring, there were merely fifty-some Five Elements Spirit Beasts.
Of course, that was an astounding number.
If Boundary Stele Mountain truly held only around a hundred Five Elements Spirit Beasts, Lu Changsheng had captured roughly half of the entire population.
"I'll stay for another month and nurture the Slaughter Domain to perfection."
Lu Changsheng had a plan in mind.
During this period, he needed to comprehend domains.
At Boundary Stele Mountain, by learning from nature, he might be able to comprehend many martial conceptions and evolve them.
For instance, recently Lu Changsheng had been attempting to comprehend the Flame Conception.
He had drawn inspiration from the Five Elements Fire Beasts.
Once he grasped the Flame Conception, he could expend Dao Comprehension Pills to evolve it into a Flame Domain.
"However, Immortal Masters and martial artists have grown noticeably more numerous around the mountain lately."
Lu Changsheng did not know the reason.
Yet he had no desire to cross paths with others.
His sole objective was to capture Five Elements Spirit Beasts.
The more people gathered, the more frightened the spirit beasts would become, making them likely to hide.
When that happened, finding them would become exceedingly difficult for Lu Changsheng.
"Time to keep searching for Five Elements Spirit Beasts."
Lu Changsheng stood, stepped out of the cave, and expanded his Perception Domain as he wandered Boundary Stele Mountain in search of the beasts.
At this moment, the entire Boundary Stele Mountain had indeed grown lively.
However, it was not because of the Five Elements Spirit Beasts, but because of an auspicious beast.
A so-called auspicious beast was fundamentally a type of spirit beast, yet it was an extraordinarily miraculous existence among them.
For example, the auspicious beast that had appeared in Boundary Stele Mountain was called a Cloud Beast.
This kind of spirit beast was exceptionally marvelous, often capable of locating heavenly treasures and earthly wonders.
Thus, as soon as the Cloud Beast appeared, it immediately drew numerous Divine Treasury martial artists and Immortal Masters.
In fact, weaker Divine Treasury practitioners and Immortal Masters did not even dare enter Boundary Stele Mountain to search for the auspicious beast.
After all, Boundary Stele Mountain was home to many demons and was fraught with danger.
In just a few days, quite a few martial artists had fallen across the mountain.
Naturally, several demons had also been killed.
The entire Boundary Stele Mountain had become both bustling and perilous.
This was precisely why Lu Changsheng had sensed that the mountain was growing increasingly crowded.
However, none of this affected Lu Changsheng for the time being.
After all, Boundary Stele Mountain was vast!
At that moment, a group of martial artists and Immortal Masters had already located traces of the Cloud Beast.
A dashing young Immortal Master leapt down from a flying boat.
He swept his gaze across the crowd, a cold glint lingering in his eyes.
The moment he appeared, it immediately stirred a wave of discussion among the onlookers.
"Is that Immortal Master Qiu Yi?"
"It's indeed him. Immortal Master Qiu Yi has been very active in the second tier of the Ancient Region recently; it's said he even slew a powerful demon!"
"Really? It hasn't been long since Immortal Master Qiu Yi became an Immortal Master, has it? Less than ten years, yet he can already slay a demon in single combat? Impressive!"
"It seems Immortal Master Qiu Yi is determined to obtain the Cloud Beast this time!"
"Not necessarily. There are also several powerful Divine Treasury martial artists who are equally determined to have it!"
"They say the Cloud Beast is hiding nearby, but who knows where?"
For a time, the crowd engaged in heated whispers.
Immortal Master Qiu Yi was clearly the center of attention. Standing before his flying boat, he looked down condescendingly, as though surveying everyone beneath him.
"Everyone, this poor Daoist is Qiu Yi. I am determined to claim the Cloud Beast!"
"If you do not wish to harm our harmony, please refrain from making a move on the Cloud Beast. Otherwise, this poor Daoist will not show mercy!"
Qiu Yi's gaze swept coldly across them.
The onlookers' expressions turned unsightly in an instant.
In particular, several Divine Treasury martial artists bristled.
As martial artists who battled heaven and earth, how could they tolerate being threatened?
However, Qiu Yi was no ordinary figure.
He was a renowned, powerful Immortal Master.
Clashing with him would likely prove troublesome.
Immortal Master Qiu Yi felt quite pleased with himself.
He had already prepared dharma artifacts and grand formations; the moment the Cloud Beast revealed itself, he would surely capture it.
If anyone dared interfere, he wouldn't mind cutting them down.
Across the vast second tier of the Ancient Region, there were likely few martial artists Qiu Yi could not handle.
He possessed absolute confidence!
*Rumble!*
Right then, a violent roar echoed in the distance.
Looking far off, the crowd distinctly saw a materialized domain descend.
Within that domain, sharp blades gleamed fiercely.
"Is that... a Five Elements Spirit Beast?"
"It truly is a Five Elements Spirit Beast! Someone seems to be using a domain to suppress it."
"We searched Boundary Stele Mountain for so long without finding a single one, yet now one shows up—pity someone beat us to it."
"That's a Five Elements Water Beast. It can be suppressed with just a single Saber Domain without noticing the attacker beforehand?"
"I wonder which martial artist that is. How fortunate, managing not to be detected by the Water Beast and smoothly suppressing it with a Saber Domain."
In an instant, almost everyone's eyes turned toward that unfamiliar Divine Treasury martial artist and the Five Elements Water Beast.
Immortal Master Qiu Yi's face gradually darkened.
Just moments ago, he had been the center of attention, but now no one was looking at him.
"Halt!"
"Did you not hear what this poor Daoist just said?"
"You dare deploy a domain here? What if you startle the Cloud Beast and cause it to flee?"
"Leave at once!"
Immortal Master Qiu Yi's voice rolled like thunder, detonating across the void and reverberating in everyone's ears.
*Swish!*
Even the unfamiliar figure inside the domain suddenly raised his head.
"Are you speaking to me?"
The Divine Treasury martial artist's tone was exceedingly calm.
Yet beneath that calm tone lay a staggering aura of presence!
There were no earth-shattering proclamations.
Yet this simple, indifferent sentence radiated extraordinary poise.
Such bearing could only belong to the truly strong.
Evidently, the unfamiliar Divine Treasury martial artist suppressing the Five Elements Spirit Beast was no ordinary cultivator!
"Hm?"
Immortal Master Qiu Yi's face sank.
He was the venerable Immortal Master Qiu Yi; wherever he went, he was the focal point, pursued and flattered by all.
Now, any random, unfamiliar martial artist dared address him like this?
"Who do you think you are?"
"This poor Daoist has already warned you once: do not cause a commotion lest you startle the Cloud Beast. If you refuse to comply, this poor Daoist will have to take action personally..."
Immortal Master Qiu Yi stood with his hands behind his back.
Yet before he could move, Lu Changsheng moved first.
*Whoosh!*
Lu Changsheng took a step forward.
That single step covered a distance of over a dozen zhang.
One step, two steps, three steps...
In the blink of an eye, Lu Changsheng closed the distance to Immortal Master Qiu Yi.
"You..."
Immortal Master Qiu Yi grew incensed.
He was about to say something.
Yet suddenly, Lu Changsheng stopped.
*Swish!*
Lu Changsheng whipped around, his gaze instantly locking onto the direction behind him.
A white-robed figure slowly came into the crowd's view.
It was a Divine Treasury martial artist of exceptionally handsome appearance.
He was handsome to the point of being eerie, a faint smile permanently resting on his face.
He walked over slowly, step by step.
"I've been searching for you for a month, and I've finally found you, Lu Changsheng!"
The white-robed man spoke slowly.
Yet the moment these words left his mouth, an uproar erupted among the crowd.
"What? That person is Lu Changsheng?"
"Ancient Region Heavenly Sect's Lu Changsheng, the top genius hailed as the number one Divine Gang in the Ancient Region, who once counter-killed a Divine Treasury expert?"
"Your news is out of date! Lu Changsheng is already a true disciple of the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect now!"
"Lu Changsheng only just broke through to the Divine Treasury realm, yet he dares come to Boundary Stele Mountain?"
"And who is this other man?"
Many disciples were profoundly shaken.
Lu Changsheng of the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect!
That name was like thunder to their ears.
Across the entire Ancient Region—not just the first tier, but even in the second and third tiers—his fame was widespread.
The reason was simple.
Lu Changsheng had counter-killed a Divine Treasury expert!
That was unprecedented throughout history!
Yes, completely unprecedented.
Without relying on dharma artifacts, talismans, or other treasures, relying purely on his own cultivation, he had slain a Divine Treasury expert from the Divine Gang realm.
Even the most breathtakingly talented martial geniuses had never accomplished such a feat.
Yet Lu Changsheng had done it!
With an achievement like that, how could his reputation not be immense?
Even if one had never seen Lu Changsheng in person, one had certainly heard his illustrious name.
At this moment, Immortal Master Qiu Yi's face grew even uglier.
"Lu Changsheng? A mere martial artist..."
Immortal Master Qiu Yi had naturally heard of Lu Changsheng.
Counter-killing a Divine Treasury expert—what a grand reputation!
However, Immortal Master Qiu Yi had always looked down upon martial artists.
Not to mention Lu Changsheng, even powerful Divine Treasury martial artists meant nothing to him.
"Hmph, whether you're Lu Changsheng, Chen Changsheng, or Zhou Changsheng."
"I'll give you both a choice: get lost right now, and do not delay this poor Daoist from capturing the Cloud Beast."
Immortal Master Qiu Yi's words caused Lu Changsheng to frown.
Even the white-robed man cast a deep glance toward Immortal Master Qiu Yi.
"Noisy."
The white-robed man waved his hand sharply.
*Rumble!*
Instantly, the void warped as layers of overlapping domains materialized—densely packed, numbering over a dozen.
The terrifying domains crashed down upon Immortal Master Qiu Yi in a single breath.
"Ah..."
Almost immediately, Immortal Master Qiu Yi activated his defensive dharma artifacts, even throwing out formation banners to trigger a grand array.
Yet it was useless.
Under the crushing weight of over a dozen stacked domains, the dharma artifacts, formations, and talismans that Immortal Master Qiu Yi took such pride in were completely futile.
Like sheets of flimsy paper, they were pierced in an instant.
"No—!"
Immortal Master Qiu Yi let out a shrill, agonized scream.
Immediately after, over a dozen domains descended, grinding Immortal Master Qiu Yi into fine powder in the blink of an eye.
The white-robed martial artist gave a casual wave, dispersing the dozen-odd domains.
"Quiet at last," the white-robed martial artist murmured indifferently.
Silence!
At this moment, the countless onlookers fell dead silent.
One could have heard a pin drop!
No one could believe what they had just witnessed.
What had they just seen?
The renowned Immortal Master Qiu Yi, an esteemed figure of great fame, had been ground into powder with a casual wave of the hand by an unfamiliar white-robed martial artist.
Utterly and completely dead!
This was simply unbelievable!
Were Immortal Masters not supposed to be stronger than Divine Treasury practitioners under normal circumstances?
Immortal Masters stood high above, looking down upon all else.
In the end, that was all?
The far-famed Immortal Master Qiu Yi hadn't even possessed the slightest power to resist; he had been killed instantly in a single breath.
And from the looks of it, the white-robed martial artist appeared utterly calm and unruffled.
"Am I seeing things? Immortal Master Qiu Yi is dead?"
"He's truly dead, killed in an instant! Just who is this white-robed martial artist?"
"I think I remember now! That white-robed martial artist seems to be True Disciple Long Yun of the Huangtian Sect!"
"True Disciple Long Yun? The former chosen of the Huangtian Sect who once commanded the winds and clouds? It's said he faded from public view because he failed to forge his Dao Foundation for so long. Who would have thought that upon reappearing, his strength would be this terrifying—not even Immortal Master Qiu Yi could withstand a single strike from him!"
"Long Yun came specifically looking for Lu Changsheng. I'm afraid... this matter is huge!"
In an instant, the onlookers scrambled to put distance between themselves and the two figures.
"Over a dozen domains..."
A sharp light flashed in Lu Changsheng's eyes as well.
This was the first time he had seen another Divine Treasury martial artist this powerful.
That Immortal Master Qiu Yi had certainly not been weak.
No Immortal Master was truly weak.
With myriad methods at their disposal, they were exceedingly difficult to kill.
Yet before this white-robed martial artist, Immortal Master Qiu Yi had appeared utterly fragile.
Dharma artifacts, talismans, arrays—none of them had made any difference.
It wasn't that Immortal Master Qiu Yi was weak; rather, this white-robed martial artist was simply too strong!
"True Disciple Long Yun of the Huangtian Sect."
"Did you come here to kill me?"
Lu Changsheng spoke slowly.
He had known from the very first moment that Long Yun came with ill intent.
"Indeed. I was entrusted by someone to dispose of you," Long Yun replied indifferently.
Lu Changsheng understood.
He did not bother asking who wanted him dead.
There was no need to ask.
Right now, there was only one person who wanted Lu Changsheng dead this badly and possessed the means to arrange it.
Xu Haotian!
Long Yun also hailed from the Huangtian Sect.
Everything aligned.
"Why didn't Xu Haotian come himself?" Lu Changsheng asked.
"He wanted to come in person, but he is currently at a critical juncture in his cultivation."
"Besides, I alone am more than enough."
"What, did you think I was trash like Wu Qingyi, who let you step over him to forge such a grand reputation?"
"Counter-killing a Divine Treasury expert! What an illustrious name!"
"However, I am not Wu Qingyi, and you are no longer in the Divine Gang realm."
"In theory, this is a fair fight!"
Long Yun appeared exceedingly relaxed.
Relaxation meant confidence.
Long Yun seemed to possess absolute certainty!
"Very well. Let me test the true weight of an expert among the Divine Treasury!"
Lu Changsheng took a deep breath. His brain domain trembled faintly.
His domains descended in an instant!
Chapter 168