Holy Land Heavenly Sect's Martial Saint Banquet: Lu Changsheng Erases a Mountain Peak Across a Hundred Li, Shocking Eight Great Martial Saints!

Silence! The entire great hall sank into a deathly stillness. The elders froze, looking at one another in sheer disbelief. Shock! Every single person was shaken to the core! A Martial Saint! Lu Changsheng had already advanced to Martial Saint? It was simply inconceivable! "V-Venerable Lu, you just said to prepare a Martial Saint Banquet... Did you truly forge a saint body and advance to Martial Saint?" Lu Tong's voice trembled. Even as a venerable Divine Ability realm martial artist, he could not restrain his overwhelming surge of emotion. For thousands of years, the entire Ancient Region had never produced a single Martial Saint. In truth, this had nothing to do with the environment of the Ancient Region. Once they reached the Divine Ability realm, many martial artists could use super long-distance teleportation arrays to travel to the Holy Land to continue their pursuit of the martial path. Yet even so, not one had ever forged a saint body and attained the Martial Saint realm. And now, Lu Changsheng had achieved it. He was undeniably the foremost person in the Ancient Region in thousands of years! Lu Changsheng did not speak. Instead, he released a wisp of the Chaos Saint Body's aura. In an instant, an illusory silhouette of the Chaos Saint Body materialized behind him. Though it was merely a wisp of aura, it made the assembled elders feel as though they were suffocating, as if an imposing, colossal mountain were bearing down on them. A saint body! This was unmistakably a saint body! "Venerable Lu... No, Saint Lu, how should we host your Martial Saint Banquet? Whom should we invite?" Lu Tong asked. "Whom to invite..." Lu Changsheng pondered for a moment. The Li clan and the Deep Space Chamber of Commerce certainly had to be invited. The Martial Saint powers of Tiansheng City and Tianguang City—even those with whom they shared no prior dealings—must also receive invitations. After all, the banquet was fundamentally an act of deterrence. If the Holy Land Heavenly Sect wished to establish a lasting foothold, it had to make every major power aware that it had become an entity backed by a Martial Saint! Lu Changsheng discussed the arrangements with Lu Tong for a while. Lu Tong nodded in understanding and departed to make preparations. With everything settled between them, the Martial Saint Banquet was scheduled for one month later. This month would give the Holy Land Heavenly Sect ample time to prepare thoroughly. Lu Changsheng took no part in such trivial matters. After some thought, he got up and headed to the Li clan. "Brother Lu." Li Guang caught sight of Lu Changsheng. With just a single glance, Li Guang sensed something was different. However, his cultivation was too low to discern that Lu Changsheng had already become a Martial Saint; he only felt that Lu Changsheng's disposition had undergone a profound transformation. "Brother Lu, what brings you..." Li Guang began, puzzled. At that moment, Li Chengwu's gaze hardened, and his heart leaped in astonishment. "A Martial Saint!" "Venerable Lu... No, should it be Saint Lu now? You have advanced to Martial Saint?" As a pinnacle Divine Ability martial artist, Li Chengwu recognized the change in Lu Changsheng with a single glance. Lu Changsheng nodded. "By a stroke of good fortune, I recently managed to forge my saint body and advance to Martial Saint. As such, I have come to consult the forefather regarding the subsequent stages of cultivation for a Martial Saint." Hearing Lu Changsheng confirm it personally, Li Chengwu and Li Guang exchanged a glance, their eyes brimming with shock. A Martial Saint! Lu Changsheng had advanced to Martial Saint without a whisper of warning? Although they had known that his advancement was practically set in stone and only a matter of time, that it happened so quickly still caught them off guard. Back when Lu Changsheng was merely a Martial Venerable, his strength could already match an ordinary Martial Saint. Now that he had truly advanced, just how terrifying had his power become? "S-Saint Lu, the forefather invites you in." Li Zhenggang's voice suddenly sounded in Li Chengwu's ears. Li Chengwu immediately led Lu Changsheng into Li Zhenggang's private chamber. A flicker of wonder appeared in Li Zhenggang's eyes as well, though he was not overly surprised. He knew that Lu Changsheng attaining the Martial Saint realm was simply a natural culmination. "Fellow Daoist Lu, congratulations. In a single bound, you have attained the Martial Saint realm and earned three thousand years of carefree life!" Three thousand years of lifespan could truly be considered a long, untethered existence. Naturally, longevity was not true immortality. Three thousand years seemed vast, but no one ever complained of living too long; on the martial path, one still had to press forward with determination. "Fellow Daoist Li." Lu Changsheng addressed Li Zhenggang as "Fellow Daoist" as well. This simple shift in address signified the transformation in their standings. Now, no gap remained between Lu Changsheng and Li Zhenggang in status or position. In fact, Lu Changsheng's strength far exceeded Li Zhenggang's. "Has Fellow Daoist Lu come wishing to know about the subsequent cultivation along the path of a Martial Saint?" "Indeed. I request your guidance, Fellow Daoist Li!" Lu Changsheng had not grown arrogant. The Martial Saint realm was far from the end of the martial path. Li Zhenggang looked at Lu Changsheng with mixed emotions, a hint of envy surfacing in his expression. He truly envied Lu Changsheng for still being able to pursue the martial path. Weighed down by lingering injuries, Li Zhenggang had long lost the drive to advance. Moreover, he knew that the Martial Saint realm was his ceiling—further progress was impossible for him. But Lu Changsheng still held boundless promise, with a vast and brilliant future ahead! Li Zhenggang nodded, his expression solemn as he spoke deliberately: "Fellow Daoist Lu likely knows that the Martial Saint realm comprises three stages: Human Saint, Earth Saint, and Heavenly Saint. "Forging a saint body brings one to the Human Saint stage. "And if a Human Saint wishes to advance their martial cultivation further, the key lies within the concept of 'humanity.' "The martial path is fundamentally the path of mortals. Born from the multitudes of living beings, we comprehend the path of all life, integrating the power of all living beings into our saint body. This allows the saint body to make further progress, until one day it undergoes another metamorphosis, elevating one to an Earth Saint." Lu Changsheng's brow furrowed. "What is the power of all living beings?" "You may also understand the power of all living beings as the momentum of all living beings. "Taken individually, the multitudes of mortals seem utterly feeble. Yet when they gather, their wills converging and their strength pulling in a single direction, even mortals can move mountains or alter heaven and earth. That is the momentum of all living beings! "As long as you govern a major power, you will naturally acquire this momentum. By accumulating it over time, or by expanding your power to harvest an even greater momentum of living beings, you can temper your saint body. "This is why nearly every martial artist who forges a saint body and advances to Martial Saint will either join or establish a force of their own. Cultivation as a Human Saint must rely on the momentum of all living beings." A realization dawned upon Lu Changsheng. The momentum of all living beings! It had been explained with utmost clarity. Whether called the momentum of living beings, the power of living beings, or the condensed will of the multitudes, they all referred to the same underlying principle. The martial path differed fundamentally from the immortal path. The immortal path emphasized communing with heaven, earth, and the landscape, comprehending the Heavenly Dao while transcending the mundane world, far removed from the red dust of mortal life. Immortals stood high above. Martial artists were different. Originating from the mortal realm, they fought against heaven and earth. The mortal human was the root of martial arts. To grow stronger, one had to draw upon the multitudes of living beings. "Fellow Daoist Lu, you founded the Holy Land Heavenly Sect early on, effectively making you its founding ancestor," Li Zhenggang continued. "In truth, you already possess the momentum of all living beings; you simply have not realized it yet. I will teach you a rudimentary method to sense it—simple, yet sufficient for you to perceive it." With that, Li Zhenggang taught Lu Changsheng the method. Lu Changsheng learned with astonishing speed. Once he mastered the technique, he immediately attempted to sense the momentum. Upon trying, he truly did. A layer of intermingled black and red light shimmered across his form. This glow increased continuously, converging from all directions. However, how long it would take to swell substantially was anyone's guess. This was the momentum of all living beings! More precisely, it was the momentum belonging to the Holy Land Heavenly Sect, which Lu Changsheng possessed as its founder and ancestor. No—it was not just the Holy Land Heavenly Sect. It also encompassed the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect and the Northern Region Heavenly Sect. Across the three Heavenly Sects, Lu Changsheng's prestige currently shone like the sun at midday. The momentum of living beings from all three sects converged upon him, rivaling Li Zhenggang's without falling short in the slightest. In fact, Lu Changsheng's momentum was even more vast. After all, the Holy Land Heavenly Sect had only recently been founded; like the rising sun, it held limitless possibilities. Everyone within was brimming with confidence, naturally generating a potent momentum. In contrast, the Li clan—or rather, the Li Chamber of Commerce—had just clashed with the Black Light Chamber of Commerce and been suppressed, causing their momentum to diminish drastically. With one rising and the other declining, there was simply no comparison. "Refine." With a thought, Lu Changsheng refined the momentum of living beings into his saint body. Even with just a sliver, he clearly perceived a subtle change within the saint body. Though faint, it was undeniably a development in the right direction. Yet as he continued to observe, a slight frown creased his brow. He noticed that after a wisp of momentum was absorbed, it was rapidly depleted. But the change wrought upon his saint body was minuscule; without meticulous observation, the improvement was scarcely perceptible. This speed—or rather, this efficiency—was agonizingly low. "Fellow Daoist Li, advancing the saint body using the momentum of all living beings seems... terribly slow?" Lu Changsheng asked, "At this rate, even after decades or centuries of accumulation, there likely won't be much improvement, let alone a qualitative metamorphosis." He had keenly identified the core difficulty of the Human Saint stage: it was sluggish! The efficiency was abysmally poor. Li Zhenggang smiled faintly. "Seeing that even Fellow Daoist Lu finds the cultivation speed of a Human Saint slow puts my mind at ease. "Haha, just a jest. If even someone endowed with your breathtaking talent experiences such slow progress, then it seems the rumors are true: the Human Saint realm has nothing to do with talent or comprehension, but depends entirely on the momentum of all living beings. "One path is to continuously expand your territory. As your domain grows and your population multiplies, the momentum of living beings naturally swells. "The other path is governance—vigorously developing the martial arts so that every subject practices martial cultivation and becomes strong. In this manner, the momentum contributed by each individual can rival ten or even a hundred ordinary mortals. Taken as a whole, vast momentum can still be amassed. That is the path of 'quality.' "Expanding territory is pure quantity. Raising the martial cultivation of every subject under your banner is 'quality.' "One may pursue both simultaneously, or concentrate solely on one." Lu Changsheng grew thoughtful. He finally understood why sacred grounds existed. In a sense, a sacred ground was also an embodiment of the momentum of living beings, one that pursued quality. Within a sacred ground, every disciple and martial artist was an elite among their peers, easily matching ten, a hundred, or more ordinary practitioners. Accumulated over generations, any martial artist within a sacred ground would undeniably tread the Human Saint realm far more smoothly than an independent Martial Saint. Rogue Martial Saints faced the hardest journey. Submitting to other powers yielded meager momentum, while building an organization from scratch required clawing forward without any historical foundation—a task as difficult as ascending the heavens. "I understand. Thank you, Fellow Daoist Li." Lu Changsheng had grasped the fundamentals of Human Saint cultivation. The momentum of all living beings! Upon reaching the Martial Saint realm—especially as a Human Saint—one truly had to fight and conquer, forging a faction that would endure for millennia or tens of millennia. Moreover, the larger the faction, the better. Ordinary forces simply could not sustain a Human Saint's cultivation, much less support an advancement to Earth Saint. Lu Changsheng returned to the Holy Land Heavenly Sect. "The Ancient Region and the Northern Region possess vast territory and dense populations, but the 'quality' of their people is too poor. Most are commoners rather than martial artists. "No matter how vast such a population is, their low quality makes their contribution far inferior to the momentum provided by the Holy Land Heavenly Sect alone," Lu Changsheng murmured softly. Now he truly understood why Martial Saints were so willing to remain in the Holy Land. It was not merely because the Holy Land was the heart of the martial path, but because virtually only the momentum of living beings found in the Holy Land could sustain the cultivation of a Human Saint. "At the Human Saint realm, martial artists bring the concept of 'contention' to its absolute zenith! "A Human Saint must contend! Without contention, how can one be called a Human Saint? Without contention, how can one venture further along this path?" Lu Changsheng realized that, in a sense, all other Human Saints were rivals. "I need a far vaster momentum of living beings, but relying solely on the Holy Land Heavenly Sect to expand and accumulate momentum bit by bit is far too slow." He shook his head. Relying on the Holy Land Heavenly Sect's momentum might mean spending an entire lifetime without making substantial progress in the Human Saint realm. He had to find a way to enter a truly colossal power—perhaps even becoming part of its upper echelon or core leadership, wielding great authority. Only then could he harness an immense momentum of living beings for his cultivation. A thought gradually crystallized in his mind. A sacred ground! If one asked which factions were the mightiest across the entire Holy Land, possessing the most tremendous momentum of all living beings, the answer was unquestionably the sacred grounds! Yet gaining entry into a sacred ground was exceedingly difficult. Neither Tianguang City nor Tiansheng City had ever seen a single martial artist join one. Lu Changsheng was in no hurry. He continually consolidated his cultivation within the Holy Land Heavenly Sect while biding his time in silence. In the blink of an eye, a month passed. The day of the Holy Land Heavenly Sect's Martial Saint Banquet had arrived. "Saint Lu, the auspicious hour has arrived. It is time for your appearance." Lu Tong's voice drifted in from outside the chamber. "I know," Lu Changsheng responded calmly. For an entire month, Lu Changsheng had been refining the momentum of living beings to enhance his Chaos Saint Body. As for the results... He immediately brought up his attribute panel. Host: Lu Changsheng Comprehension: 441,400 (Praised for a Hundred Generations) Chaos Saint Body: Momentum of All Living Beings (1%) Though he had refined the momentum of living beings, his Chaos Saint Body had advanced by merely one percent. This one percent was largely a general figure; refining a single wisp of momentum displayed one percent, yet refining it for a month or even a year would still show one percent. Lu Changsheng could even sense that continuing at this pace for several more years would likely leave it unchanged at one percent. The cultivation speed was simply too sluggish. It proved that the current scale of the Holy Land Heavenly Sect was insufficient to sustain his cultivation in the Human Saint realm. Creak. Lu Changsheng pushed the door open. Lu Tong stood waiting outside. "How many Martial Saints have arrived?" Lu Changsheng asked. Lu Tong thought for a moment before respectfully replying, "Three Martial Saints have come from Tiansheng City, two from Tianguang City, and three from surrounding powers—eight Martial Saints in total." Eight Martial Saints! Such a turnout was remarkable, an extraordinary occasion in its own right. These eight Martial Saints represented nearly all the powers within a ten-thousand-li radius. That they had all come in person to attend Lu Changsheng's banquet was a clear statement of their stance. Naturally, besides the Martial Saints who attended in person, many powers unable to send their Martial Saints due to various reasons had dispatched prominent figures bearing lavish gifts, which was equally an unambiguous show of respect. "Let us go." Lu Changsheng took a step forward. In an instant, his figure materialized within the Holy Land Heavenly Sect's great hall. Whoosh. Countless eyes immediately converged on him. There were Martial Saints, Divine Ability martial artists, and even Golden Core True Persons. Everyone wished to see this living legend with their own eyes. Indeed, Lu Changsheng was already virtually a living legend within the Holy Land. The speed at which he had attained the Martial Saint realm was utterly baffling. He had a real prospect of reaching the Heavenly Saint realm! Of course, it was merely a prospect. Becoming a Heavenly Saint demanded not only exceptional talent, comprehension, and backing, but also an abundance of serendipity. Since ancient times, how many dazzling geniuses had ultimately perished, trapped within the Human Saint realm? To become a Heavenly Saint, one first had to cross the chasm of the Human Saint stage. Yet regardless of whether Lu Changsheng could become a Heavenly Saint, at least within a ten-thousand-li radius, no one was his match. That was beyond doubt! The many Martial Saints who had gathered today had come to see for themselves whether Lu Changsheng was truly so invincible. Now, they were looking at him. Lu Changsheng wasted no words, speaking plainly: "I thank you all for traveling from afar to attend my Martial Saint Banquet. I imagine everyone wishes to catch a glimpse of my saint body. Today, I naturally will not let your journey be in vain." He spoke with directness, devoid of pleasantries or evasiveness. Had these people traveled great distances purely to celebrate his advancement? That was impossible. They had come to test his strength—or rather, to measure his current weight and stature! And since the banquet was held specifically to display power, Lu Changsheng naturally would not miss the opportunity to demonstrate it properly. Whoosh. Lu Changsheng soared straight out of the hall, treading upon empty air to stand in the void. "Quick, follow him out!" "Is Saint Lu going to display his saint body directly?" "They say Saint Lu's saint body was forged on the foundation of boundless divine abilities. The might of a boundless divine ability is already earth-shattering; once amplified by a saint body, just how terrifying will it be?" "We must see this!" The crowd surged out of the hall, taking to the air. Standing outside, they looked up to see Lu Changsheng suspended in the void, hands clasped behind his back. Buzz. The next instant, his saint body manifested. A hundred-zhang saint body abruptly materialized. As it appeared, the surrounding void seemed on the verge of collapse. A terrifying pressure instantly swept across the entirety of Tiansheng City, like a primordial mountain bearing down upon everyone's head. Before anyone could recover their senses, Lu Changsheng pointed a single finger toward a mountain peak a hundred li away. Rumble! A thunderous roar echoed. And what did the crowd witness? Across a hundred li of distance, that mountain peak vanished. Yes, it simply vanished—erased from existence out of thin air. There was no earth-shattering explosion, no violent tremors, no rending of heaven and earth. Yet this very absence of upheaval made it all the more chilling. Erased! What kind of magnificent power was this? Eight Martial Saints were present. What divine abilities and methods had they not seen? Yet this sight struck pure terror into the depths of their hearts. Across such an immense distance, he had cleanly erased an imposing mountain peak. By that same token, Lu Changsheng could effortlessly erase them, Martial Saints though they were! None of them doubted it for a second. "Saint Lu's divine abilities are boundless!" "Such divine power is truly earth-shattering! Who among Human Saints could possibly match him?" "We have seen many top-tier Martial Saints, but among Human Saints, those wielding such terrifying divine abilities can be counted on one hand. No, not on one hand—there are none at all..." In an instant, clamorous discussions erupted, emotions running extraordinarily high. Regardless of anything else, Lu Changsheng was a Martial Saint of Tiansheng City; he was now the city's emblem. "Pardon my humble display," Lu Changsheng said with a slight smile. "Please, make yourselves at home at today's banquet." With that, he withdrew and returned to the great hall. A single demonstration of strength was enough. He was confident that after today, no one within ten thousand li would dare cause trouble for the Holy Land Heavenly Sect. Even the sect's chamber of commerce would expand smoothly. As long as Lu Changsheng lived, the Holy Land Heavenly Sect would bask in peak prosperity—lasting at least three thousand years. Such was the influence of a Martial Saint. Three thousand years later, even if Lu Changsheng failed to break through the Human Saint realm and died when his lifespan expired, the sect would have accumulated ample foundation. Perhaps a second or even third Martial Saint would emerge by then. *Lu Changsheng's grand momentum has truly taken form,* Li Zhenggang mused inwardly. He glanced at Li Guang, whose face was flushed with excitement, his eyes glittering with sharp light. A smile touched Li Zhenggang's lips. Fortunately, Li Guang had forged a close bond with Lu Changsheng early on. No matter how brilliantly the Holy Land Heavenly Sect flourished, the Li Chamber of Commerce could ride the favorable wind and share in that glorious prosperity! The Martial Saint Banquet lasted a full three days. After three days, the banquet concluded, and the many guests finally departed the Holy Land Heavenly Sect. Lu Changsheng asked Li Zhenggang to stay behind. "Fellow Daoist Li, the momentum of the Holy Land Heavenly Sect will likely be insufficient to sustain my cultivation," Lu Changsheng asked candidly. "Do you have any suggestions?" Through continuous trials over this past period, he had confirmed that even if the sect's scale grew tenfold, it would still fall short. Even a hundredfold increase would make little difference. While the momentum of living beings might swell, it would not yield significant changes in the short term. The sect would require decades or centuries of careful stewardship before its momentum became immense, and Lu Changsheng had no desire to wait so long. Li Zhenggang smiled faintly. "Fellow Daoist Lu, blessed as you are with peerless natural talent, it is only natural that you find cultivation in the Human Saint realm slow. If I am not mistaken, you are likely not even a hundred years old, correct?" "A hundred? Indeed," Lu Changsheng nodded. He was far from a hundred; he had not even reached forty. Li Zhenggang marveled, "To attain the Martial Saint realm before the age of a hundred... Asking you to squander centuries or millennia in the Human Saint realm would indeed be too slow. Perhaps you might consider journeying to a sacred ground to gain entry." "A sacred ground?" Lu Changsheng frowned. He had considered sacred grounds, but they were far too mysterious. Besides, would a sacred ground accept an existing Martial Saint? There were countless Martial Saints and Human Saints across the world, all yearning to borrow the momentum of a sacred ground. Yet sacred grounds were not charities; they would not casually recruit Martial Saints into their ranks. Moreover, even if one joined, failure to enter the core or attain high status meant one could not share in the sacred ground's momentum. "Fellow Daoist Lu, Martial Saints can join sacred grounds, but they must pass a selection process," Li Zhenggang explained. "With your extraordinary talent, gaining entry should pose little difficulty. However, just how far you can advance within the sacred ground remains uncertain. The closest sacred ground to Tiansheng City is the Tianhe Sacred Ground. If you wish to join one, you might try your luck there." Li Zhenggang gave Lu Changsheng the precise location of the Tianhe Sacred Ground. "Thank you, Fellow Daoist Li." After seeing Li Zhenggang off, Lu Changsheng studied the location of the Tianhe Sacred Ground on the map, lost in thought. *Before heading to the Tianhe Sacred Ground, there are a few matters I must settle.* *The three-year pact with Zhang Shu can be resolved now. And Li Zhenggang's severe injuries—the Heavenly Rain Fortune Pill I promised him earlier—must also be obtained as soon as possible.* After some thought, Lu Changsheng decided he still needed to make a trip back to the Martial Saint Mansion. The mansion, particularly the outer mansion, held all manner of resources; finding a Heavenly Rain Fortune Pill there should be feasible. Without delaying, Lu Changsheng departed Tiansheng City the following day and flew toward the Martial Saint Mansion. Soon, he returned to the Martial Saint Mansion's inner mansion. Yet just as he was about to step inside, a layer of invisible light barred his way. At that moment, the voice of the artifact spirit echoed throughout the entire inner mansion: "Lu Changsheng, master of Cave Abode Number One, has attained the Martial Saint realm and is forbidden from entering the inner mansion. "A temporary challenge mechanism is now initiated. Inner mansion martial artists wishing to obtain Cave Abode Number One may apply to issue a challenge..." The artifact spirit's voice reverberated across the inner mansion. Countless practitioners heard the proclamation, and their hearts shuddered in unison. Their faces drained of color, seized by utter shock, as if they could hardly believe their ears. Lu Changsheng had advanced to Martial Saint just like that? How long had he even been in the inner mansion of the Martial Saint Mansion? Less than a year! In less than a year, he was still within the "inner mansion protection period" during which other martial artists were barred from challenging him. Yet while still under that protection, Lu Changsheng had already forged a saint body and advanced to Martial Saint?