One Million Comprehension! Shaking Past and Present, a Natural Sage!

On the arena stage, the three Martial Saints had no face left to stay. Hastily descending from the platform, they turned into streaks of light and vanished. Yet below the stage, many Martial Saints remained rooted in utter shock. "Three Martial Saints joined forces, and they couldn't even withstand a single blow from Lu Changsheng?" "Is this real? What am I looking at?" "Those three Martial Saints were hardly weak—their saint bodies were all around fifty zhang tall. Yet before Martial Saint Lu, they were simply... powerless." "Just how strong has Martial Saint Lu become?" Many Martial Saints were stunned. They could not even fathom the heights to which Lu Changsheng's strength reached. Generally speaking, even a peak Martial Saint feared being besieged by other Martial Saints. No matter how powerful a peak Martial Saint was, the margin of superiority was inherently limited. Yet Lu Changsheng was different. To them, he felt fathomless, with no discernible ceiling in sight. Could a Martial Saint truly rival an Earth Saint? Naturally, no one believed a Martial Saint could genuinely rival an Earth Saint. Though Earth Saints and Heavenly Saints both fell within the Martial Saint realm, ordinary martial artists generally used "Martial Saint" to refer specifically to Human Saints. As a title, Martial Saint was almost always shorthand for Human Saint. Earth Saints and Heavenly Saints were exceedingly few and rarely appeared before ordinary eyes. Martial Saints like those in the Saint Alliance were without exception Human Saints. Earth Saints could not even enter the Divine Domain. Lu Changsheng's power appeared to surpass the imagination of the surrounding Martial Saints, leaving them thoroughly bewildered. Martial Saint Luo, however, was overjoyed. Lu Changsheng alone was stronger than three Martial Saints combined. What reason was there to hesitate? This was an incredible stroke of luck! "Brother Lu, I truly neglected you earlier. I had no idea Brother Lu possessed such terrifying might..." A broad smile spread across Martial Saint Luo's face. He did not breathe a word about recruiting any other Martial Saints. It would be a two-man team. "Brother Lu, regarding our partnership, if it's just the two of us, once we obtain the deity fragments, the distribution..." Martial Saint Luo hesitated, leaving the rest unsaid. "You provided the intelligence. If there is only one fragment, it goes to you," Lu Changsheng said directly. "If there are two or more fragments, no matter how many there are, you will receive only one. How about that?" This maximally protected Martial Saint Luo's interests. After all, the information came from him. If he had no guarantee of a deity fragment, he could simply seek out other Martial Saints to form a team. However, Lu Changsheng was confident. As his strength steadily increased, he could kill true deities in an instant and could now gauge his force with decent control. Though he still could not capture a true deity alive, controlling his output when obliterating one allowed him to secure two, three, or even more deity fragments, rather than being left with just a solitary piece. "Agreed, we'll do it by Brother Lu's terms. I only require one deity fragment." Martial Saint Luo did not ponder for long before agreeing readily. In all his years within the Divine Domain, had his goal not been to obtain a single deity fragment? Teaming up with other Martial Saints to hunt true deities carried all sorts of complications and the constant risk of failure. But teamed with Lu Changsheng, so long as they did not encounter a deity king, how could they fail? "Let's set out immediately and head straight for the Blood River True Deity," Lu Changsheng said, not wishing to waste time. "By the way, bring a shadow-recording stone this time to record the scenes of my battle." If Lu Changsheng intended to make a high-profile display, he naturally needed proof. Would others believe him simply because he claimed he could contend with a deity king? Not necessarily. Thus, a shadow-recording stone was essential. His purpose in making a spectacle was solely to encourage others to proactively offer him intelligence and leads on deities. Nothing more. With that, the two departed the Saint Alliance branch and flew straight toward the Blood River Divine Dynasty. "It's right here. Beneath the Blood River Temple lies the hiding place of the Blood River True Deity. However, he is exceptionally powerful, ranking at the very pinnacle among true deities, which is why hunting him required so many Martial Saints to encircle him. From here on, it rests in Brother Lu's hands..." Martial Saint Luo gave Lu Changsheng a deep look. Hunting the Blood River True Deity was by no means an easy task. But Lu Changsheng was immensely strong, and Martial Saint Luo chose to put his faith in him. "No matter." Lu Changsheng took a deep breath. Then he took a step forward. *Boom!* The Chaos Saint Body manifested. This time, Lu Changsheng did not limit it to a hundred zhang; it expanded directly outward. One hundred zhang, three hundred zhang, five hundred zhang, eight hundred zhang... Reaching nearly a thousand zhang tall, the Chaos Saint Body straddled the void like a colossal pillar blotting out the sky and sun, radiating an awe-inspiring, terrifying pressure. Seeing the thousand-zhang saint body filling the firmament, Martial Saint Luo's eyes widened, stormy waves churning through his heart. He could scarcely believe what he saw. Martial Saint Luo remembered vividly that the saint body Lu Changsheng had displayed back at the branch was only a hundred zhang. How had it suddenly reached nearly a thousand zhang? Could it be that what he had shown back at the Saint Alliance was still nowhere near his full strength? "Right, the shadow-recording stone!" Martial Saint Luo hurriedly produced the shadow-recording stone without the slightest delay, engraving every scene unfolding before his eyes into the stone. "Found you! Arise!" Lu Changsheng threw a punch. Instantly, the earth fractured. The Blood River Temple collapsed in a single breath, flattened to the ground, and a massive crater was gouged into the earth. From the depths of the cracked terrain, a terrifying, vast aura faintly surged forth. A true deity! That was the presence of the Blood River True Deity. "Presumptuous!" The Blood River True Deity emerged. A surging river of blood seemed to wind around his entire form, rolling incessantly through the void. This was the Blood River True Deity, a pinnacle true deity. "Who dares disturb this deity?" The Blood River True Deity wore a murderous expression, as if ready to devour anyone in sight. He seemed not yet to grasp the situation at hand. But Lu Changsheng could not be bothered to waste words. He struck with another punch. *Rumble!* The sky itself seemed to cave in. The Blood River True Deity looked up and saw only that single fist occupying every corner of the void. Even across the distance, a prickling needle-like pain pierced every inch of his divine body, and endless alarm bells rang out from the deepest recesses of his being. It felt as though he would die! Yet before him stood merely a Martial Saint. How could he possibly die? "Blood River...!" the Blood River True Deity roared. A monstrous river of blood surged forth, sweeping toward Lu Changsheng. *Bang!* A dull explosion rang out. The torrential river of blood in the void was shattered in an instant. The divine body of the Blood River True Deity possessed not the slightest power of resistance, ripped to pieces on the spot. With a single punch, the Blood River True Deity was blown apart! Lu Changsheng swept his large hand across the air. Four or five large deity fragments and over a dozen smaller ones all fell into his grasp. "A bountiful harvest!" Feeling the four large deity fragments in his hand, Lu Changsheng's eyes lit up. Even after giving one to Martial Saint Luo, three remained. That brought his total tally to seven fragments. With seven in hand, only three more were needed to fulfill the quest of the ten sacred grounds. Martial Saint Luo, however, stood utterly petrified. What just happened? That was the Blood River True Deity! He had come fully prepared to seize a critical opening and strike by surprise to help fell the deity. And the result? One punch! With just one punch, the Blood River True Deity had exploded, leaving behind only scattered fragments. Was this truly a pinnacle true deity? Or was Lu Changsheng simply monstrously strong—strong beyond anything Martial Saint Luo could fathom? *Whoosh.* Martial Saint Luo flew to Lu Changsheng's side, his face flushed with excitement. "Brother Lu, you truly are... unbelievable! We've secured the deity fragments; our mission is accomplished!" Seeing Martial Saint Luo's exhilaration, Lu Changsheng remained remarkably calm. A strange expression even surfaced in his eyes. "Martial Saint Luo, where did you obtain the exact hiding place of the Blood River True Deity?" Martial Saint Luo froze for a moment. "I went undercover in the Blood River Divine Dynasty for many years and obtained the intelligence by chance..." "By chance?" Lu Changsheng chuckled. Hands clasped behind his back, he wore a faint, knowing smile. "I'm afraid that information obtained 'by chance' was deliberately leaked by the deities. Look closely down below. Which deity is that?" "There's another true deity?" Martial Saint Luo blinked in confusion. Just as the words left his mouth, a terrifying aura erupted with a thunderous roar. Immediately afterward, a deity radiating intense crimson light manifested in the void. The entire sky seemed dyed in blood, and a dense, pungent stench filled the air. Blood! The unmistakable scent of fresh blood! "No, that isn't a true deity. That's... the Blood Deity King!" Martial Saint Luo's heart seized in horror. The Blood Deity King! Why would an exalted deity king be here, sharing a hiding place beneath the temple of the Blood River True Deity? This made no sense! In that instant, Martial Saint Luo faintly grasped the answer. A trap! The intelligence regarding the Blood River True Deity's hiding place was itself bait. Who knew how many Martial Saints had been drawn in by this news—only to end up dead! "A trap... It was a trap laid by the Blood Deity King and the Blood River True Deity! We've fallen into an ambush! All is lost..." Martial Saint Luo's eyes grew hollow, his spirit completely draining away. A deity king! An ambush by an actual deity king. A deity king could lock down space. With the surrounding space sealed, Great Shift Talismans and Lesser Shift Talismans were rendered utterly useless. In other words, they were now turtles caught in a jar, doomed to die at the hands of the Blood Deity King! Never had Martial Saint Luo imagined that a deity king and a true deity would stoop so low as to deliberately set a trap and wait for them to walk in. Yet the Blood Deity King was equally furious. "Who killed the Blood River True Deity?" His voice boomed like rolling thunder across the firmament. Deities typically lacked mortal emotions, but that did not mean they could not feel wrath. Their fury merely rarely showed on the surface. Yet now, anyone could tell that the Blood Deity King was beside himself with rage. After all, he and the Blood River True Deity had collaborated to set this trap, aiming to slaughter wave after wave of Martial Saints and Nascent Soul True Monarchs. Yet before the Blood Deity King could even act, the Blood River True Deity had been slain right under his nose! It was a direct slap in the face. How could he not be enraged? Faced with the furious deity king, Lu Changsheng remained as calm as ever. Glancing at Martial Saint Luo, he spoke flatly: "Martial Saint Luo, don't forget to keep the shadow-recording stone active. Watch closely!" With that, the thousand-zhang Chaos Saint Body in the void sprang into motion. *Boom!* A punch flew out. The firmament seemed filled with Lu Changsheng's fist shadows, amplified hundreds of times by three boundless divine abilities. This blow genuinely rivaled the strike of a deity king! "What?" Not only was the Blood Deity King shocked, but Martial Saint Luo was utterly dumbfounded. He could scarcely believe his eyes. Lu Changsheng could unleash an attack on the level of a deity king? Which meant Lu Changsheng could rival an Earth Saint? This was too scandalous to be believed. Throughout history, never had there been an account of a Human Saint rivaling an Earth Saint. Even delivering a single strike equivalent to an Earth Saint was supposed to be impossible. Between a Human Saint and an Earth Saint lay an insurmountable chasm; the difference was between heaven and earth. Yet the reality was right before him. Lu Changsheng truly had unleashed an attack rivaling a deity king! One had only to look at the Blood Deity King. Enraged, the sea of blood condensed into an immense fist that slammed furiously toward Lu Changsheng's Chaos Saint Body. There were no tricks or flourishes—pure, unadulterated head-on collision. *Rumble!* The two attacks collided savagely. The void tore open, and the shockwave dispersed the crimson canopy above. Yet as Martial Saint Luo watched the clash, the two sides appeared genuinely evenly matched; neither could overcome the other. At least for this single strike, they stood on equal footing. All of this was meticulously recorded by Martial Saint Luo's shadow-recording stone. "A deity king... It really rivals the strike of a deity king..." Martial Saint Luo stood slack-jawed in disbelief. Yet it was fact—a fact witnessed with his own eyes. Had he not seen it himself, nothing could have convinced him that Lu Changsheng could unleash a deity-king-level strike, much less hold his own against one. "Martial Saint Luo, what are you waiting for? Use your Great Shift Talisman at once. We'll rendezvous at the Saint Alliance branch." With a slight sway of his figure, Lu Changsheng activated a Great Shift Talisman and vanished without a trace. Trading blows with the Blood Deity King had not been about fighting him to the death; it was merely to shatter his spatial lockdown. Now that the lockdown was broken, Lu Changsheng naturally took his leave. Martial Saint Luo also triggered a Great Shift Talisman, fleeing for his life, leaving behind only the enraged roar of the Blood Deity King... A month slipped by. Back at the Saint Alliance branch, Martial Saint Luo met with Lu Changsheng once more. "Brother Lu." Martial Saint Luo's expression was complicated. A month earlier, he had set out with Lu Changsheng toward the hiding place of the Blood River True Deity. In the end, Lu Changsheng had killed the true deity in one blow. Not only that, he had clashed head-on with the Blood Deity King and fought him to a standstill. Lu Changsheng had delivered an attack on par with a deity king! It was earth-shaking. And a month later, both had returned safely to the Saint Alliance branch. "Brother Luo, do you still have the shadow-recording stone?" Lu Changsheng asked. "Of course." Martial Saint Luo produced the stone. Lu Changsheng examined it closely and nodded in deep satisfaction. The one-hit kill of the Blood River True Deity and the clash with the Blood Deity King had been captured in full. "Brother Luo, here is your deity fragment. However, I would also like to ask a favor: help me spread the contents of this shadow-recording stone so everyone in the branch knows of my battle with the Blood Deity King." "Spread the stone's contents?" Martial Saint Luo was taken aback. Lu Changsheng wanted to make a public show of it? Typically, people hid their capabilities and played the pig to eat the tiger. Why invite so much attention? Naturally, Martial Saint Luo did not realize that Lu Changsheng wanted to gather enough deity fragments as quickly as possible. Doing so required a high-profile display of power, enticing those with exact locations of deities to seek him out for cooperation. Martial Saint Luo was also puzzled as to why Lu Changsheng had not left the Divine Domain, having already secured multiple fragments. But none of that concerned him. "Very well, I will spread the contents of the shadow-recording stone." Martial Saint Luo agreed. After all, it was a minor matter, requiring little effort. With that, Martial Saint Luo took his deity fragment and departed. Before leaving the Divine Domain, he circulated the imagery from the stone. Instantly, the entire Saint Alliance branch was shaken to its core. The contents of a single shadow-recording stone set off massive shockwaves throughout the branch. It showed a Martial Saint battling a true deity and even clashing with a deity king. The sight was simply too astounding. "Is that... the Blood Deity King?" "Yes, that's him! And before that was the Blood River True Deity, killed in a single strike..." "I just received word that the Blood River True Deity really is dead, and the Blood Deity King did indeed appear in the Blood River Divine Dynasty, frantically searching for someone." "That Martial Saint who one-shotted the Blood River True Deity and clashed head-on with the Blood Deity King looks a bit familiar, doesn't he?" "That's Martial Saint Lu Changsheng! Have you forgotten? Last time on the arena, he took on three Martial Saints at once and defeated them in a single move." "Right, Lu Changsheng, it's him! But could he truly rival a deity king?" "Trading blows head-on with the Blood Deity King means he can absolutely unleash a deity-king strike. Inconceivable... So a Human Saint really can erupt with an attack rivaling an Earth Saint?" "Throughout all history, Lu Changsheng might be the very first Martial Saint to unleash an Earth Saint-level strike with a Human Saint body..." "Regardless, this is an opportunity! If Lu Changsheng can produce a deity-king-level attack, wouldn't hunting true deities with him be effortless?" The Saint Alliance branch erupted in an uproar, but many quickly recognized the practical benefits: teaming up with Lu Changsheng! True deities were notoriously difficult to kill. That was the consensus among Martial Saints. Even when multiple top-tier Martial Saints joined forces, the success rate remained low, relying on attrition to grind the deity down. But dragging out the fight introduced too many variables; if a deity king was drawn in, the entire team could be wiped out. Now, everything had changed. Partnering with Lu Changsheng eliminated that peril. Lu Changsheng could dispatch true deities in an instant. Any true deity they encountered was guaranteed to be shattered. Furthermore, even if they were unfortunate enough to run into a deity king, Lu Changsheng could hold off the deity king long enough for them to retreat safely to the Saint Alliance. In this manner, wouldn't the chances of securing deity fragments skyrocket? The Saint Alliance branch was not short on clever individuals. Before long, people began approaching Lu Changsheng. Lu Changsheng refused almost no one. As long as someone possessed reliable intelligence on a deity, he would team up with them, slay the true deity, and claim the deity fragments. Just like that, half a year flew by. Lu Changsheng had gathered over ten distinct types of deity fragments. Not just ten fragments, but over ten kinds. Each type yielded at least one piece, with most providing two or three, totaling over twenty fragments altogether. "I've been in the Divine Domain for nearly a year. It's time to leave," Lu Changsheng murmured. He called up his panel. Host: Lu Changsheng Comprehension: 988,300 (Praised for a Hundred Generations) Chaos Saint Body: Momentum of All Living Beings (76%) His comprehension had reached over 980,000, fast approaching 1,000,000. Once it reached 1,000,000 points, his comprehension was certain to undergo a qualitative transformation. As for the Chaos Saint Body, bolstered by the momentum of all living beings, it had reached 76%, not far from 100% perfection. From the various deity fragments, Lu Changsheng had selected ten types, comprehended ten rules, and glimpsed ten heaven-and-earth origins. All that remained was for his Chaos Saint Body to attain 100% perfection, allowing him to channel the heaven-and-earth origins, temper his saint body further, and advance to Earth Saint! Remaining in the Divine Domain served little further purpose. Moreover, Lu Changsheng had become famous throughout the Divine Domain—not only within the Saint Alliance, but among the deities themselves. Various deity kings had their eyes on him, and even the gaze of deity lords might soon turn his way. If he lingered, a deity lord might one day lay a trap to ensnare him. Should that happen, Lu Changsheng would be helpless. Thus, he decided to quit while he was ahead and depart the Divine Domain. Having made up his mind, he hesitated no longer. "Time to go." Without notifying anyone, Lu Changsheng quietly departed the Divine Domain like an ordinary Martial Saint and returned to the Endless Sea. From there, he set out straight for Tianhe Sacred Ground. When he had traveled from Qingshan Sacred Ground to the Divine Domain, the journey had taken half a year. Traveling from the Divine Domain to Tianhe Sacred Ground was slightly closer, requiring roughly five months. The expanse of sea was vast. Lu Changsheng flew for an entire month without sighting the coastline. Yet he did not continue. A month later, he descended upon an uninhabited islet in the open sea. Deserted by men, the island was home only to roosting seabirds. Lu Changsheng sat cross-legged atop a giant boulder, gazing out at the boundless ocean, quietly waiting. Yes, Lu Changsheng was waiting. Over the past month, his comprehension points had climbed to 998,300, increasing by 10,000 points a month. In about five or six more days, his comprehension would break the million threshold. When that happened, his comprehension would transform. This was a pivotal moment. Thus, Lu Changsheng had come to this deserted island to await that arrival in peace. One day, two days, three days, four days, five days... For five days, Lu Changsheng sat motionless upon the rock. Sunlight bathed his form, and the sea breeze brushed his face with a hint of salt. His mind remained serene, calm as still water. He did not even bother checking his attribute panel. When that moment arrived, he would naturally know. *Swish.* At a certain hour on the sixth day, Lu Changsheng opened his eyes. In that instant, nothing world-shaking occurred. Outwardly, there was not the slightest change. The void remained peaceful, accompanied by the cries of distant seabirds. Yet Lu Changsheng knew that everything had changed. Just moments ago, he felt his comprehension undergo a complete transformation. A roaring resonance filled his mind, and once the reverberation settled into stillness, the entire world looked entirely different. Looking upon the vast ocean, he saw lines of laws surfacing across its waters. Nor was it just laws. Lu Changsheng raised his head and gazed into the void. Across the firmament, dense white lines crisscrossed the expanse, blotting out the sky as they pierced through the void and extended to its every corner. Lu Changsheng could not have been more familiar with those white lines. He had already comprehended ten such lines. "These are... rules..." Lu Changsheng's heart quaked! What was he looking at? He could actually see rules directly with his bare eyes? Was that even possible? Yet it was an undeniable reality. In the Divine Domain, countless Martial Saints fought with their lives on the line merely to comprehend rules. Yet now, Lu Changsheng possessed them so easily—he could literally see them. Even Lu Changsheng had spent a year risking life and limb in the Divine Domain to obtain over a dozen kinds of deity fragments. Yet the rules visible to his eyes now far exceeded a mere dozen. They formed a dense, woven tapestry. Countless rules spanned the void, laid bare before him. With a thought, Lu Changsheng attempted to comprehend an ordinary rule among those he could see. One day, two days, three days... A few short days later, Lu Changsheng's expression turned profoundly solemn. It was done! He had comprehended an eleventh rule. Furthermore, through that comprehended rule, he perceived an eleventh heaven-and-earth origin, identical to those he had glimpsed through deity fragments. In other words, had his journey to the Divine Domain been for nothing? "No, it wasn't in vain. In the Divine Domain, I obtained deity fragments. Only with the experience of comprehending rules through those fragments could I grasp a rule this quickly. Otherwise, even with this transformed comprehension and seeing the rules firsthand, comprehending one so swiftly would have been impossible. Without the fragments, comprehending a single rule might have taken months or even years." Lu Changsheng murmured quietly. He had saved precious time. Moreover, traveling to the Divine Domain had allowed him to witness deities—living embodiments of rules. That special form of life had granted him a far deeper understanding of rules. Furthermore, the total time spent in the Divine Domain had been barely over a year—not an excessively long period. Lu Changsheng summoned his attribute panel. Host: Lu Changsheng Comprehension: 1,001,300 (Natural Sage) Chaos Saint Body: Momentum of All Living Beings (79%) Lu Changsheng's eyes narrowed. He noticed that behind comprehension, "Praised for a Hundred Generations" had vanished, replaced by "Natural Sage." "Illuminating the past and outshining the present, unmatched by any—a Natural Sage!" Lu Changsheng murmured softly. That was the panel's evaluation of "Natural Sage." "So this is what a Natural Sage truly means..." Lu Changsheng smiled as he gazed upon the myriad rules before his eyes. In this moment, he seemed to grasp the true meaning of a Natural Sage.