"Hmm?"
Elder Xue narrowed his eyes slightly.
He whipped around to look behind him.
Step by step, Lu Changsheng strolled slowly toward him, clad in the robes of Tianhe Sacred Ground. He was clearly an elder of Tianhe Sacred Ground as well.
Elder Xue sneered. "I was wondering why you were acting so confident, Old Ghost Feng. Turns out you had a helper coming.
"However, I know every single Martial Saint elder in your Tianhe Sacred Ground. This man is probably a newly ascended Martial Saint, isn't he? You really are regressing the longer you live. Have you stooped so low that you have to rely on a newcomer now?"
Elder Xue judged Lu Changsheng to be a newly ascended Martial Saint.
Elder Feng merely sneered in response, choosing not to say a word.
Moreover, Elder Xue noticed that the disciples of Tianhe Sacred Ground—who had previously hung their heads in utter demoralization—now had their morale soaring with the arrival of this Martial Saint.
Could it be that this newly ascended Martial Saint truly possessed considerable strength?
"Elder Boundless has arrived!"
"Saint Lu is here! Let's see how arrogant these Great Snow Mountain people can be now!"
"Hmph, with Saint Lu leading our team this time, why should we fear them?"
"Elder Feng might be slightly weaker, but Saint Lu... what Martial Saint would dare claim they can suppress Saint Lu?"
"Great Snow Mountain Sacred Ground has pushed us too far. It's time they tasted defeat..."
Confidence immediately returned to the many disciples of Tianhe Sacred Ground. It was as if the moment Lu Changsheng arrived, they had found their pillar of support.
"Elder Feng, may I kill?" Lu Changsheng asked calmly, enouncing each word with utter placidity.
The moment those words were spoken, the faces of everyone from Great Snow Mountain Sacred Ground changed drastically.
"Who is this that dares to be so insolent?"
"What a big mouth! Martial Saint Feng was just repelled by our Elder Xue, so what do you amount to?"
"We know every single Martial Saint of Tianhe Sacred Ground. An unfamiliar face is almost certainly a newly ascended Martial Saint. How dare you act so arrogant?"
"I'd like to see just who you think you can kill!"
The disciples of Great Snow Mountain Sacred Ground had every reason to be furious. An unfamiliar Martial Saint had opened his mouth talking about killing someone—and right to the face of a Martial Saint of Great Snow Mountain, no less. Who had given this unfamiliar Martial Saint the nerve?
Yet, while the people of Great Snow Mountain Sacred Ground were filled with righteous indignation, Elder Feng felt his heart tighten. He knew Lu Changsheng's words were not aimless bravado. If they truly came to blows, Lu Changsheng might genuinely be able to slay Elder Xue.
The sacred grounds certainly competed against one another, and even when petty squabbles led to physical fights, the worst that happened was injuring the opponent. But killing? That would completely change the nature of the situation. It could easily trigger a direct confrontation between sacred grounds.
Moreover, this was Qingshan Sacred Ground. If lethal force was truly used and a Martial Saint died here, it would likely alarm even the Earth Saints of Qingshan Sacred Ground. Things would become troublesome then.
Thus, Elder Feng spoke up. "Elder Boundless, that won't be necessary.
"Old Ghost Xue of Great Snow Mountain is indeed arrogant and overbearing, but a slight punishment will suffice. His offense does not warrant death."
Lu Changsheng understood.
However, these words infuriated Elder Xue to the point of exploding. As spoken by Elder Feng and Lu Changsheng, it sounded as if his fate had already been sealed! Did neither of them hold any regard for him at all?
"You two..."
Elder Xue was incensed. Almost immediately, he released his saint body.
*Boom.*
Elder Xue's saint body rose thirty zhang high, straddling the void as if roaring silently. A terrifying aura swept toward Lu Changsheng with astonishing might.
Yet Lu Changsheng did not seem to care in the slightest.
*Buzz.*
The next instant, a figure abruptly manifested behind Lu Changsheng.
It was a saint body—a towering entity a hundred zhang tall!
This terrifying saint body seemed to step forth from the void, looming vast before everyone. Its horrifying aura was like an immemorial divine mountain hanging suspended above their heads, subjecting everyone to immense pressure that left them gasping for breath.
This was Lu Changsheng's Chaos Saint Body!
The hundred-zhang Chaos Saint Body gently reached out with a massive hand.
This palm was unimaginably gigantic. The moment it reached for Elder Xue's saint body, it seemed to engulf half the sky. Darkness descended on all sides as the palm blotted out the heavens and the sun, making it appear impossible to escape its reach no matter which way one fled.
*Roar...*
Elder Xue's saint body unleashed a silent roar and struck out with a fist of its own. This punch carried the full strength of his saint body, violently colliding with the descending palm of Lu Changsheng's saint body.
And then...
It was extinguished.
Elder Xue's punch crumbled in an instant, dissipating into nothingness. The full-force strike of his saint body was like a clay ox entering the sea, vanishing entirely into the giant palm of Lu Changsheng's Chaos Saint Body.
Five Elements Decomposition divine ability!
It was the Five Elements Decomposition divine ability, directly breaking down the power of Elder Xue's divine ability. Then, the massive palm of the Chaos Saint Body descended effortlessly, grasping Elder Xue's saint body like a chick.
Elder Xue's saint body instantly began to shatter inch by inch.
"No..."
Terror and despair washed over Elder Xue's face. If his saint body collapsed, he would suffer severe injuries—or even die!
*Swoosh.*
In the end, however, Lu Changsheng did not deliver a fatal blow. Elder Feng had said that a minor punishment would suffice and that killing was ill-advised. Therefore, Lu Changsheng's Chaos Saint Body did not completely annihilate Elder Xue's saint body. Instead, it obliterated half of it before hurling the rest toward the ground.
*Crash!*
Elder Xue's saint body smashed heavily into the earth, gouging out a massive crater.
Silence!
The surroundings seemed to plunge into instant quietude.
Everyone stood in disbelief at the scene before their eyes. The disciples of Great Snow Mountain Sacred Ground had their mouths wide open, utterly struck dumb, their faces plastered with shock.
As for Elder Xue, he was not dead, but he was certainly not well off either. His saint body had suffered heavy damage, and having been smashed into the dirt in full view of the public, he looked thoroughly pathetic.
In contrast to Great Snow Mountain Sacred Ground, the disciples of Tianhe Sacred Ground erupted into cheers, their faces glowing with excitement.
"Hahaha! An elder of Great Snow Mountain Sacred Ground is nothing special after all!"
"With Elder Boundless stepping in, what can a mere elder of Great Snow Mountain Sacred Ground do?"
"Just a single palm strike! If Saint Lu hadn't shown mercy, that one palm would have blown Elder Xue to pieces!"
"Saint Lu's strength is truly terrifying. Every time I see it, I'm shocked all over again."
The disciples of Tianhe Sacred Ground seemed to have known the outcome all along—or rather, they had anticipated it. But to the disciples of Great Snow Mountain Sacred Ground, it was deeply staggering.
They simply could not believe what had just happened. An esteemed Martial Saint elder of Great Snow Mountain Sacred Ground had been slapped into the dirt in a single move, entirely powerless to retaliate. In fact, had the opponent not shown mercy, that single slap would have ended his life.
Was Elder Xue too weak, or was the opponent simply too strong?
"Who... who on earth are you?"
By this time, Elder Xue had crawled out of the massive crater, his face pale with horror and disbelief. Even now, he was still somewhat dazed. How had he suddenly been swatted into the dirt? And in such a miserable state!
"Hehehe, Old Ghost Xue, suffered a loss this time, didn't you?"
"Saint Lu is a titled elder of our Tianhe Sacred Ground.
"You ought to know what 'titled elder' signifies in our Tianhe Sacred Ground.
"Your defeat is not unjust!"
A smile appeared on Feng Tianxing's face. Seeing Elder Xue suffer brought him immense joy, venting his pent-up frustration and leaving him feeling thoroughly refreshed. He even felt that the Sect Master's decision to have Lu Changsheng lead the team to Qingshan Sacred Ground was the best choice possible. Otherwise, across the vast Tianhe Sacred Ground and its numerous Martial Saint elders, who else possessed such terrifying power to slap Old Ghost Xue so hard he lost all sense of direction?
At this moment, someone from Qingshan Sacred Ground finally stepped forward.
A Martial Saint approached with a beaming smile. Glancing at Lu Changsheng and then at the disheveled Elder Xue, he chuckled. "Fellow Daoists, this is all just a misunderstanding.
"The matter of the rankings is merely disciples playing around.
"It isn't worth making such a fuss over.
"The Sacred Ground Exchange Assembly is about to begin. It's only natural for disciples to have some spirited rivalries. When the time comes, let the disciples settle things at the assembly. That way, our harmony won't be harmed.
"What do you two think?"
It was only natural for a Martial Saint of Qingshan Sacred Ground to act as a peacemaker. However, both Great Snow Mountain Sacred Ground and Tianhe Sacred Ground knew that the people of Qingshan Sacred Ground had been watching from the shadows the entire time, waiting until the two sides finished fighting before stepping out to mediate.
Elder Xue took a deep breath, his voice deep and grim. "This old man acted rashly.
"Before the Sacred Ground Exchange Assembly, I will restrain my disciples and ensure that those of Great Snow Mountain no longer provoke or cause a scene."
With that, Elder Xue hurried away with the disciples of Great Snow Mountain.
"Fellow Daoist Lu, Fellow Daoist Feng..." The Martial Saint of Qingshan Sacred Ground turned his gaze to Lu Changsheng and Feng Tianxing.
"Easily said," Feng Tianxing replied. "This matter was started by Great Snow Mountain. Since Great Snow Mountain Sacred Ground will restrain its disciples, our Tianhe Sacred Ground naturally has no issue."
With that, Feng Tianxing and Lu Changsheng departed with their disciples as well.
The members of Great Snow Mountain Sacred Ground hung their heads dispiritedly as they returned to their assigned cave dwelling. Elder Xue's face remained grim throughout.
"Speak up. What exactly is that Lu Changsheng's background?" Elder Xue asked in a low voice.
Knowing that Elder Xue had suffered a heavy loss, none of the disciples or elders had dared to speak. Only when Elder Xue asked did an elder finally pipe up: "I have already investigated him. This Lu Changsheng is truly remarkable.
"He has an enormous reputation in the Holy Land. While still in the Divine Ability realm, he slew a Martial Saint. Furthermore, he condensed a boundless divine ability and used it as the foundation to forge his saint body, making his strength unfathomable.
"Later, he went to Tianhe Sacred Ground, passed the titled elder assessment, and became a titled elder.
"Rumor has it that during Tianhe Sacred Ground's titled elder assessment, Lu Changsheng destroyed a hundred saints in a single strike! It caused a sensation throughout the entirety of Tianhe Sacred Ground.
"Therefore, Elder Xue, your defeat was not unwarranted. In the Human Saint realm, it's likely that no one can stand as Lu Changsheng's match."
Hearing this, Elder Xue fell silent.
A boundless divine ability! And he had used it as a foundation to forge his saint body.
It was only natural that he was no match for such a figure. Yet, as reasonable as it was, it was still Elder Xue who had lost face. Today's battle had likely already spread across all the sacred grounds, turning him into a laughingstock.
"Hmph, the people of Qingshan Sacred Ground must have known about this long ago," Elder Xue snorted. "Yet they allowed us to clash with Tianhe Sacred Ground, hoping to sit atop the mountain and watch the tigers fight.
"Whatever. My skills were inferior, so a defeat is a defeat. It matters little that this old man lost face, but our Great Snow Mountain Sacred Ground cannot lose face.
"Once the Sacred Ground Exchange Assembly begins, the disciples of Great Snow Mountain must win back the dignity I lost. Do you understand?"
Elder Xue was someone who could let things go when necessary. Knowing Lu Changsheng's circumstances and strength, he abandoned any thought of seeking revenge. The gap was simply too vast! Unless he could become an Earth Saint, which was obviously impossible—he did not possess that kind of potential. Speaking strictly of potential, Lu Changsheng's far exceeded his own.
Since he had been humiliated, he would face the humiliation directly. Instead, he openly admitted it to drive the disciples of Great Snow Mountain to strive harder and reclaim their sacred ground's honor.
Sure enough, these words caused the disciples of Great Snow Mountain to raise their heads, their morale surging anew.
"Rest assured, Elder, we will do our utmost!"
"If we encounter disciples of Tianhe Sacred Ground, we will show no mercy!"
"The face the Elder lost, we will definitely reclaim for you!"
Seeing that his disciples had recovered their fighting spirit, Elder Xue allowed a slight smile to surface. Internally, however, he tasted bitterness. This had been utterly humiliating. In the future, he would truly be unable to hold his head high before his peers from the other sacred grounds. He even resolved that once he returned to Great Snow Mountain Sacred Ground, he would enter secluded cultivation and never leave again.
The clash between Tianhe Sacred Ground and Great Snow Mountain Sacred Ground soon spread throughout Qingshan Sacred Ground. The elders and disciples of other sacred grounds learned of the conflict as well, causing an enormous stir throughout the mountain.
They could hardly believe that Lu Changsheng of Tianhe Sacred Ground was so formidable. Yet, when they investigated slightly, one by one they gasped in wonder.
There were simply too many reports about Lu Changsheng, and they were essentially confirmed.
Destroying a hundred saints in a single strike!
That piece of intelligence alone was enough to silence everyone. Essentially, everyone from every sacred ground now knew that Tianhe Sacred Ground had a Lu Changsheng who was not to be provoked. The people of the sacred grounds would avoid crossing him if they could.
Fortunately, this gathering was an exchange among disciples. Lu Changsheng was an elder and would not personally take the stage, which gave the various sacred grounds some relief. If Martial Saints were to compete, they might as well surrender on the spot against him.
To make the proud martial artists of the sacred grounds lower their heads and willingly admit defeat—Lu Changsheng was practically the very first to achieve such a feat! Throughout history, no matter how brilliantly talented a martial artist was, someone would always remain unconvinced. But with Lu Changsheng, none dared disagree!
The title of Saint Lu now echoed resoundingly across all sacred grounds.
*Hmm?*
*The momentum of all living beings has increased again?*
Lu Changsheng's perception of the momentum of all living beings was very clear now. He sensed that it seemed to have grown once more, likely due to his battle with Elder Xue. Perhaps this incident had further elevated his prestige in the eyes of the Tianhe Sacred Ground disciples, causing the momentum to surge.
*Then, is there a possibility...*
*Can I obtain momentum from Tianhe Sacred Ground while also drawing momentum from other factions?*
*For example, other sacred grounds?*
An idea occurred to Lu Changsheng.
With a thought, he carefully analyzed the momentum of all living beings on him. In truth, aside from Tianhe Sacred Ground, he also possessed momentum from Holy Land Heavenly Sect. It was just that Holy Land Heavenly Sect's momentum was negligible compared to Tianhe Sacred Ground's. Nevertheless, it undeniably existed, and joining Tianhe Sacred Ground had not affected his connection to Holy Land Heavenly Sect's momentum.
*This line of thought works.*
Lu Changsheng quickly expanded his reasoning.
*If I join another sacred ground, the higher-ups of Tianhe Sacred Ground might be displeased, which could jeopardize my standing there. As a result, the momentum from Tianhe Sacred Ground would definitely drop significantly.*
*However, the underlying premise is sound.*
*What if I don't join other sacred grounds, but instead join factions that Tianhe Sacred Ground doesn't mind, or factions they simply ignore? I could gather their momentum, letting many small streams make a river.*
*When the time comes, my momentum of all living beings might accumulate to a terrifying degree, thereby accelerating the cultivation speed of my saint body...*
Lu Changsheng's eyes grew brighter and brighter. The more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.
Of course, joining faction after faction and securing high positions to harvest large amounts of momentum was no easy feat. But Lu Changsheng was different; he was arguably the pinnacle existence among Human Saints. No matter which faction he visited, he could provide tremendous help. Even for a sacred ground, his joining had benefited Tianhe Sacred Ground. Therefore, his method of "accumulating bit by bit" was certainly worth a try.
However, even if he were to test it, he would have to wait until this Sacred Ground Exchange Assembly concluded.
Time flew by, and the Sacred Ground Exchange Assembly finally commenced.
Within the Martial Arts Field of Qingshan Sacred Ground, the Martial Saint elders of the various sacred grounds sat high above. Several particularly powerful Martial Saints had even been invited to the head seats.
Lu Changsheng was currently seated in a head seat, right beside the Sect Master of Qingshan Sacred Ground. This clearly showed the immense esteem Qingshan Sacred Ground held for him. Even though Qingshan Sacred Ground and Tianhe Sacred Ground were on poor terms, they treated Lu Changsheng with the highest protocol of courtesy.
Lu Changsheng understood why: he was technically an "outsider" within Tianhe Sacred Ground. As a titled elder, he could leave whenever he wished. If he were to leave Tianhe Sacred Ground in the future, might he consider joining Qingshan Sacred Ground? The possibility was certainly there. Thus, Qingshan Sacred Ground extending courtesy to him now was an investment for the future. Cultivating good relations with Lu Changsheng could never go wrong.
The Sect Master of Qingshan Sacred Ground was surnamed Xu and appeared quite genial.
"Fellow Daoist Lu, the sacred ground disciples down there are the cream of the crop among their respective grounds—the most outstanding disciples imaginable.
"Yet, compared to you, they are hardly worth mentioning. Most of them are far older than you, yet they have not even managed to forge a saint body...
"Had I not met you today, I would have found it hard to believe that someone so extraordinarily talented could emerge from outside the sacred grounds.
"With a genius like you, the martial path of the Holy Land will surely prosper!"
Sect Master Xu looked at Lu Changsheng and then at the disciples on the Martial Arts Field.
The so-called disciples of the sacred grounds, the so-called chosen ones and monstrous geniuses—without Lu Changsheng present, Sect Master Xu might have truly felt there were many talents among them, and that those disciples were quite good. But now, with Lu Changsheng here, those top prodigies of the sacred grounds paled into insignificance. There was simply no comparison.
Comparisons were always odious; stacked against him, even sacred ground disciples appeared thoroughly ordinary.
Lu Changsheng, however, was well aware that the sacred grounds possessed deep heritage, and that their best disciples were genuinely elite. This was evident from the disciples gathered below. Every single disciple brought here would be considered a top-tier genius among any outside faction in the Holy Land. Any major sect would be overjoyed to produce even one such disciple. In terms of Divine Ability realm practitioners alone, these disciples were extraordinarily powerful, capable of sweeping through most Divine Ability martial artists across the Holy Land.
Lu Changsheng was merely an anomaly.
If an ordinary Holy Land martial artist scored a one, a sacred ground disciple would generally score ten or more—perhaps even twenty or thirty, fully worthy of being hailed as chosen geniuses. But Lu Changsheng was not at twenty or thirty. He was not even in the double digits; he was well into triple digits, surpassing a hundred. There was simply no basis for comparison.
The decennial Sacred Ground Exchange Assembly was indeed magnificent. Prodigies and monsters emerged one after another, showcasing a dazzling array of divine abilities. There were divine ability combinations, divine ability fusions, and even ingeniously self-created divine abilities. Some had even stacked more than ten divine abilities together.
The battles on the Martial Arts Field were fiercely contested, yet throughout the event, the Martial Saint elders of the various sacred grounds kept turning their gazes toward Lu Changsheng. The more they investigated him, the more astonished they became.
What shocked them most was his age.
Rumor had it that Lu Changsheng was not even forty years old! Perhaps around thirty, or in his thirties. His exact age was uncertain, but he was definitively under forty!
To be under forty—how staggering was that?
One had to realize that even among sacred ground disciples, most were over a hundred years old by the time they reached the Divine Ability realm. Those under forty were not merely rare; they simply did not exist. Although Divine Ability martial artists enjoyed lengthy lifespans, being over a hundred was already considered top-tier talent. Yet Lu Changsheng had become a Martial Saint before the age of forty. He still had roughly three thousand years ahead of him to walk the martial path. Just what height would he ultimately reach? No one could say.
Lu Changsheng truly possessed the aptitude of a Heavenly Saint!
Some sacred grounds were already pondering whether they should try to recruit him. After all, Lu Changsheng was not an indigenous disciple of Tianhe Sacred Ground, merely an outside Martial Saint who had joined them. There was still a chance to sway him.
Day after day passed, and the Sacred Ground Exchange Assembly finally drew toward its close. The top ten experts among the disciples of the various sacred grounds had essentially been determined.
This time, Tianhe Sacred Ground had finally avoided a humiliating showing, performing decently enough. One person made it into the top ten to become one of the sacred grounds' top ten experts. Of course, that disciple was their sole qualifier; beyond that, they had no one even in the top twenty. Still, having someone in the top ten was already an improvement over their results in recent assemblies. With Lu Changsheng leading the contingent, they had fulfilled their mission, and Tianhe Sacred Ground had avoided losing face. It could be counted as a complete success.
However, Tianhe Sacred Ground's disciple went no further than the top ten, being eliminated in the first round of the finals. The ultimate victor was from Dragon Domain Sacred Ground.
That disciple from Dragon Domain Sacred Ground was indeed formidable, possessing six top-tier greater divine abilities. Furthermore, all six complemented one another, and their combined power was earth-shaking, making his strength undisputed among all the disciples.
Even so, Lu Changsheng felt a tinge of disappointment. He had never managed to see a disciple who had condensed a boundless divine ability. Hadn't people said there were reclusive prodigies within the sacred grounds who had condensed boundless divine abilities? Where were they? Lu Changsheng had not spotted a single one.
Thus, Lu Changsheng asked directly, "Sect Master Xu, I have heard that the sacred grounds harbor reclusive geniuses who have condensed boundless divine abilities and can sweep through the entire Holy Land once they step outside. Where have those disciples gone for this assembly?"
Faced with Lu Changsheng's query, Sect Master Xu could not help but smile wryly. "Fellow Daoist Lu, the sacred grounds have indeed produced martial artists who condensed boundless divine abilities.
"However, they are as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. They cannot be sought through effort alone; sometimes one emerges only once in a thousand years, or even several thousand years.
"Most of the time, the sacred grounds simply do not have any disciples who possess a boundless divine ability."
Lu Changsheng had an epiphany.
It turned out that the so-called reclusive disciples of the sacred grounds were largely the product of rumors, spread because outsiders were ignorant of the sacred grounds' true circumstances and assumed such geniuses were always present. But how could that be possible?
Now Lu Changsheng also understood why the sacred ground martial artists had undergone such a drastic shift in attitude and felt so shaken upon learning he had condensed a boundless divine ability. Condensing one was simply too difficult. Any disciple with a shred of ambition in the sacred grounds had tried to condense a boundless divine ability, only to be met with a difficulty that bordered on despair.
"Fellow Daoist, did you join Tianhe Sacred Ground to cultivate your saint body with the help of its momentum of all living beings?" Sect Master Xu asked abruptly.
"Indeed," Lu Changsheng nodded. It was no secret; virtually everyone knew it.
"For martial artists outside the sacred grounds, obtaining sufficient momentum of all living beings is truly troublesome," Sect Master Xu said. "Only the momentum of a sacred ground is enough to support cultivation in the Human Saint realm and offer a sliver of hope to ascend to Earth Saint.
"However, it is impossible for a single sacred ground to bestow all its momentum upon you. In truth, you can only share a fraction of it.
"Has Fellow Daoist ever considered joining Qingshan Sacred Ground as well, to receive the blessing of our momentum?
"With the momentum of two sacred grounds supporting you, wouldn't your cultivation advance by leaps and bounds?"
Sect Master Xu's words caused Lu Changsheng's heart to stir.
In fact, Lu Changsheng felt rather surprised. He had only just conceived of this possibility himself, yet here was Sect Master Xu proposing it outright.
The momentum of all living beings was immense, and it could easily crush a Martial Saint; more was not necessarily better. If a saint body was not strong enough to withstand such colossal momentum, it would harm one's cultivation instead. But Lu Changsheng was different. How powerful was his Chaos Saint Body? Forget the momentum of two sacred grounds—even ten would pose no issue. Lu Changsheng had only one requirement for momentum: the more, the better!
Yet this proposition carried obvious complications.
Joining two sacred grounds at the same time? Wouldn't that be straddling two boats at once?
Particularly given that Qingshan Sacred Ground and Tianhe Sacred Ground had engaged in open and covert strife for so long, would Tianhe Sacred Ground ever agree to him joining Qingshan Sacred Ground as well? If the two sacred grounds were to go to war, whose side would Lu Changsheng take?
Such a basic issue was something Sect Master Xu, as the leader of a sacred ground, could not possibly have overlooked. Yet he had spoken it aloud regardless.
Was he attempting to sow discord? That seemed unlikely. A grand sect master would hardly resort to such a clumsy scheme.
What, then, was Sect Master Xu really planning?
Chapter 240