Lu Changsheng Slays a Demon King! Upheaval in the Jing Dynasty, the Old Emperor Transformed into a Blood Scion!

"Hmm?" "This aura... a demon king has arrived?" In the rear courtyard of the prefectural yamen, Lu Changsheng sensed the aura immediately. With his perception, he recognized the terrifying momentum within it at once. A demon king! It was bound to be a demon king! Lu Changsheng's thoughts turned to the Demon God Ministry. No wonder there had been no movement from the Demon God Ministry for so long. They had dispatched a demon king straight to Shannan Prefecture. Moreover, the intruder was brazenly and ostentatiously releasing his aura. He clearly held no fear whatsoever of the blood scions in Shannan Prefecture. "Very well. Let us go see what a true demon king is like!" Lu Changsheng rose to his feet. With a blur of his figure, he rushed toward the front courtyard of the yamen. In the front courtyard, Demon King Gu Luo was unscrupulously projecting his demon king aura. A frightening force field seemed to warp the surroundings, twisting even the line of sight. Many blood scions could only remain on the perimeter, unable to draw near. Yet the Guard Army remained fearless. They gathered together, preparing to cast the Flesh Net to confront Demon King Gu Luo. *Whoosh.* Right at that moment, a figure abruptly appeared. Furthermore, the newcomer seemed entirely unbothered by Demon King Gu Luo's aura. Instead, he calmly walked step by step into the area engulfed by Gu Luo's pressure, completely unaffected. "Hmm?" "Wholly unimpeded by the suppression of my demon king aura?" "Could you be the Flesh Progenitor?" Seeing Lu Changsheng's nonchalant demeanor, Demon King Gu Luo reacted swiftly. The Flesh Progenitor! Gu Luo soon realized that this man was likely the Flesh Progenitor himself—the founder of the Flesh Temple and the source of all blood scions. "Indeed. I am the Flesh Progenitor." "And are you a demon king from the Demon God Ministry?" Lu Changsheng strolled forward as if taking an idle walk, completely disregarding Gu Luo's aura. "Demon God Ministry, Demon King Gu Luo!" Gu Luo said in a solemn tone. Before this, he had assumed the Flesh Progenitor was, at most, on the level of a greater demon. Now, however, he knew he had been mistaken—grievously mistaken. Anyone who could stroll along so casually beneath the crushing weight of his demon king aura was definitely no mere greater demon. The man was likely at the demon king level, just like him. Yet Gu Luo could also clearly sense that the Flesh Progenitor was not a demon. There was no demonic aura about him. Still, capable of withstanding the presence of a demon king, the man was certainly no ordinary human either. "Flesh Progenitor, you are neither demon nor human. What kind of monster are you?" Gu Luo asked. This was his greatest curiosity. "A monster?" Lu Changsheng smiled. Compared to demons, who was truly the monster? "Strictly speaking, you are not entirely wrong. Whether demon or human, both are merely forms of life." "Whereas I, or rather the blood scions, ought to be considered a new form of life—a life capable of fully contending with demons, yet inextricably bound to humanity." "In fact, it can be viewed as an evolution of mankind! I call it the blood race!" "The blood race knows no illness, fears no true demons, possesses boundless strength, enjoys long life, and can cultivate the Flesh Martial Dao to grow stronger." "If everyone in the world evolves into the blood race, how could they ever be oppressed by demons again? How could they ever be reduced to tragic rations for demons?" "The blood scions I create will inevitably liberate all living beings from the sea of bitterness. This is immeasurable merit..." Lu Changsheng's words sent a tremor through Gu Luo's heart. Shock! He felt genuine shock! From Lu Changsheng's words, he already discerned the man's ambition. He intended to transform the entire human race of this world into blood scions—or rather, into the blood race. When that time came, the demon race might indeed be defeated, but the human race would also cease to exist. The only beings remaining in this world would be blood scions! "After all this talk, didn't you come here to kill me?" "Come, then. I am right here. Kill me, and you can suppress all the blood scions and slaughter them all." "When that happens, humans and demons will return to their former peace." "You half-demons of the Demon God Ministry will remain high and mighty, while the demon race will continue to feed on humans. Would that not align perfectly with your interests?" Lu Changsheng's tone grew colder and colder. "No, I am not a demon. I am human!" Gu Luo flared up in anger. Though his body was that of a demon, he possessed human nature. He was human! "No matter what, once I capture you and bring you back to the Demon God Ministry for study, we might discover the secret behind how you turn ordinary humans into blood scions." "When that happens, humans might gain strength rivaling true demons without needing transformation, allowing them to fight back against the demon race!" "Yes, that is how it shall be!" Gu Luo seemed to convince himself. "Demon King True Body!" The next instant, a terrifying momentum erupted from Gu Luo. At the same time, his body began to swell dramatically. One zhang, two zhang, three zhang... Gu Luo's body expanded relentlessly, wider and wider, until it finally stopped at over three zhang tall, breaching the roof directly above him. Furthermore, Gu Luo sprouted three heads and six arms, dark light swirling about him, his muscles knotted and coiled, radiating a frightening aura that looked immensely ferocious. Even Lu Changsheng could not tell what kind of demon Gu Luo was. After all, the varieties of demons were far too vast, practically countless. Many demon bloodlines had intermingled, giving rise to all sorts of bizarre creatures. Let alone three heads and six arms, even eight or ten heads would not be surprising. Yet one thing was certain: Gu Luo was extraordinarily strong. He was far beyond an ordinary demon king; even among demon kings, Gu Luo was an extremely formidable existence. "At last, an interesting opponent." "A true demon king of this world..." Lu Changsheng took a deep breath. A demon king corresponded to quaternary growth, equivalent to the Dao Foundation and Foundation Establishment realms. No matter where one went, the Dao Foundation or Foundation Establishment realm represented a milestone of true mastery in a cultivation system. Clearly, demon kings were no different. Once a true demon attained the demon king realm, everything changed, undergoing a qualitative transformation. This was because demon kings birthed demon magic. Once demon magic was unleashed, a demon king's strength soared by leaps and bounds. *Buzz.* The next moment, Lu Changsheng hesitated no longer. His body likewise expanded, broader and broader. Though it was nowhere near as colossal as Demon King Gu Luo's form, the momentum radiating from him was equally horrifying, entirely capable of rivaling Demon King Gu Luo! Yet this was merely the beginning. In this world, Lu Changsheng's martial path had by no means remained stagnant. He had not simply replicated his Ultimate Martial Dao. Instead, by combining the demonic body methods of this world's true demons, Lu Changsheng had finally developed a brand-new ability upon reaching quaternary growth—an ability unique to the Flesh Martial Dao. "Flesh True Body!" The greatest strength of Lu Changsheng's Flesh Martial Dao was flesh and blood itself. Normally, he could store excess flesh, and then unleash it all when necessary! He had even created the technique of the Flesh True Body based on this principle, stacking flesh upon his frame to rapidly enhance his strength, defense, and other attributes. Naturally, an excessive mass of flesh would inevitably impair agility, perhaps even making it difficult to take a single step. Yet that did not matter. When strength and defense reached a certain threshold, what did slowness matter? Besides, Lu Changsheng understood moderation and would not swell to the point where his physical body could not move. *Buzz.* The next instant, Lu Changsheng's physical body swelled at a speed visible to the naked eye. Flesh divided again and again, and his frame expanded rapidly. One zhang, two zhang, three zhang, four zhang, five zhang... In the blink of an eye, Lu Changsheng's body swelled to a height of five zhang. This height and intensity were not even his limit, but against Demon King Gu Luo, it was more than enough. At over five zhang tall, Lu Changsheng appeared utterly terrifying, his momentum surging like a vast wave in all directions. Even Demon King Gu Luo felt a jolt of shock at the sight. "How can such a technique exist?" "This aura..." Gu Luo gritted his teeth and struck. His six arms seemed to blur into countless fist shadows, blanketing the sky as they bombarded Lu Changsheng. Yet Lu Changsheng's colossal five-zhang form merely broke into a faint smile. "Heaven! Overturning! Seal!" It was the Heaven-Overturning Seal once more. This time, Lu Changsheng's palm genuinely seemed to blot out the void. Boundless flesh converged into a hand that veiled the sky, and then slammed down ruthlessly. *Boom!* The earth shook. The power unleashed by Demon King Gu Luo appeared utterly minuscule before Lu Changsheng's palm. It was crushed instantly, and Demon King Gu Luo's towering, three-zhang demon body was flattened straight into a pool of minced meat. Gu Luo attempted to revive, but a massive clump of flesh swiftly detached from Lu Changsheng's immense frame and enveloped Demon King Gu Luo. Instantly, Lu Changsheng's flesh clashed violently with Demon King Gu Luo's demon bloodline, the two frantically devouring one another. Yet when it came to flesh and endurance, Lu Changsheng feared no demon king. Mass after mass of flesh covered Gu Luo continuously. Gu Luo repeatedly reformed demon bodies, but to no avail; they were devoured one after another by Lu Changsheng's flesh. After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, all movement from Gu Luo ceased completely. Even his demon king aura vanished. Dead! A dignified demon king had perished just like that. "It is a pity that true demons cannot be converted into blood scions. Otherwise, a demon king blood scion..." Lu Changsheng shook his head, feeling a touch of regret. The inability to convert the demon race was indeed regrettable. "Progenitor, is this demon king dead?" At that moment, Chen Ping hurried over. Seeing the scene before him, his heart was shaken to the core. A demon king! That was an exalted demon king! Such beings were rarely seen under normal circumstances, capable of wiping out a major city with ease. Yet now, one had died at the hands of the Progenitor. Lu Changsheng nodded. "Dead. Demon King Gu Luo was quite an interesting demon... Unfortunately, he was still a demon." Lu Changsheng said no more. Gu Luo was a half-demon who considered himself human, but in essence, nothing had changed—he was still a demon. In this world, rather than calling it a struggle between humans and demons, it was more accurate to call it a contest between demons and demon traitors. Setting aside those half-demons, humanity was simply too fragile, completely incapable of surviving on their own strength in this realm. Still, considering that the Demon God Ministry had sent even Demon King Gu Luo, Lu Changsheng wondered whether they would dispatch even stronger true demons next—such as ancient demons! Therefore, his strength was still insufficient; he had to advance as quickly as possible. "Chen Ping, continue expanding. Infiltrate and expand into the surrounding prefectures, and find demon plants at all costs!" "Yes, Progenitor!" Chen Ping immediately went to make arrangements in excitement. The Flesh Temple was finally expanding again. Lu Changsheng also needed demon plants to help him reach quinary growth or even senary growth as soon as possible. *** The Demon Realm, the territory of the Fierce Demon King. The Demon Realm consisted of territories belonging to demon kings of various sizes. Each demon king ruled over a vast expanse of land, within which lived a large number of humans. Within these territories, all rules and order were established and maintained by the demon kings. Some demon kings were relatively orderly, allowing humans a tolerable existence, while others were tyrannical, leaving ordinary people with virtually no hope, living numb, miserable lives. Of course, the demons were not foolish. They understood the concept of sustainable harvesting and would not drive humans to extinction. They always left a sliver of hope for ordinary people in order to maintain the necessary supply of rations for the demon race. Indeed, in the Demon Realm, humans were rations. At this moment, within the territory of the Fierce Demon King, every household in an ordinary village was weeping bitterly. The quota the Fierce Demon King had imposed on the village this year had doubled, demanding fifty people under the age of thirty. The entire village only had two to three hundred people. Losing a fifth of their population at once was practically a devastating blow. The village was currently drawing lots. Most of those chosen were women and children, for able-bodied men were needed to work and feed their families, and the Fierce Demon King did not accept the elderly. That left only women and children. "Mother, don't go..." "I want Mother..." "Child, Father has failed you..." Such tragedies played out across the entire village. If there were any other way, who would send their loved ones to their deaths? Yet no one dared to run away. The moment anyone fled, the entire village would suffer; if a single person escaped, everyone in the village would be put to death! *Tap, tap, tap.* Footsteps echoed as a stranger appeared in the village. The villagers raised their heads, looking at the stranger in confusion. In the Demon Realm, strangers were rarely seen, as ordinary people were largely forbidden from traveling about freely; anyone caught doing so would be devoured. "Have you ever thought of resisting?" the outsider suddenly asked. At those words, the villagers' expressions changed drastically, as if they had witnessed the most terrifying thing imaginable. "Leave, leave! Outsider, get out at once!" "Do not linger in our village any longer!" "You harbor evil intentions! If the demon king finds out what you just said, do you know what will happen? You will doom our entire village!" "Yes, leave immediately!" The villagers would not let the outsider say another word, trying to drive him away on the spot. They did not care who he was, but uttering such words was exceedingly dangerous. "I will stay in the mountain behind the village for three days." "During these three days, anyone with the will to resist may come find me in the rear mountain." "I can teach you the means to fight back against demons." "If you lack the will to resist, or if you fear bringing calamity upon the village, then do not come." "After three days, I shall depart." With that, the outsider walked away of his own accord, heading toward the mountain behind the village. The villagers exchanged glances. The village chief gritted his teeth and warned, "None of you must be swayed by this outsider! No one is permitted to seek him out in the rear mountain!" "Treat him as though he does not exist, and he will leave on his own after three days." "Otherwise, our village will face complete destruction!" The village chief would not report this to the demon king either. Once the demon king learned of such a matter, he would not care whether someone from the village had reported it; it was far more likely he would simply devour everyone in the village to eliminate future trouble! In the mountain behind the village, inside a dry cave, the outsider sat cross-legged, motionless. He seemed to be waiting for something. Time trickled by. Darkness fell, yet there was not the slightest sound from outside. He waited until night deepened into the midnight hours, when a rustling figure finally arrived at the cave. It was a young man of seventeen or eighteen, thin as a reed. "Outsider, do you truly possess the means to deal with demons?" the young man asked through clenched teeth. The outsider slowly opened his eyes, looked at the youth, and suddenly smiled. "Of course." "I have killed more demons than you have likely ever seen," the outsider said calmly. "Kill demons..." Hearing this, the young man immediately fell to his knees. "Please, sir, teach me the means to kill demons!" "Why do you wish to kill demons?" the outsider asked. "My mother, my father, my younger brother, and my younger sister were all eaten by true demons! I hate demons to the bone!" the young man said, grinding his teeth. "Then you must consider this carefully. Once I teach you the means to slay demons, you will only ever be able to kill demons from now on, with no room for reconciliation. Furthermore, the demons may vent their wrath upon the village, and the entire village might be wiped out." The outsider's words caused the young man's expression to waver, clearly struggling internally. After a long silence, the young man made his decision. "I am not afraid of demons!" "As long as I can gain the power to kill demons, I will leave the village immediately and wander the world, hunting down true demons to assassinate!" "Or perhaps, like you, sir, I will seek out those willing to resist demons and teach them the means to kill them." "One day, all demons under heaven will be slaughtered!" The young man spoke through gritted teeth. His words were somewhat naive, but his resolve was immense. He did not know how powerful demons were, but what did that matter? His determination to slaughter every demon under heaven would not waver. "Good. With such resolve, you are indeed worthy of instruction." "I shall transform you into a blood scion. Once you become a blood scion, you will possess boundless strength, astonishing vitality, and longevity. You will be able to face demons directly, and your flesh and blood will be capable of killing them." "Endure it. It will hurt a little." The outsider pointed a finger forward, and a drop of fresh blood instantly sank into the young man's forehead. At once, the young man clenched his teeth so hard they nearly cracked, his entire body trembling from the pain. Yet no matter how excruciating it was, he did not utter a single sound, demonstrating the sheer firmness of his will. Several hours later, the young man slowly woke. Upon waking, he immediately sensed the difference. Strength! Incomparable strength! The young man even felt that his current strength surpassed that of Uncle Jiu, the strongest man in the village. Over the next three days, the young man returned each day to consult the outsider regarding basic knowledge about blood scions and methods for killing demons, all of which the outsider explained in detail. Moreover, during those three days, more than one person came to find him in the rear mountain—a total of five people, four men and one woman. The outsider transformed them all into blood scions. When the three days were up, the outsider prepared to leave. All five were reluctant to see him go. "May we know your esteemed name, sir? For such great benevolence, we hope to repay you in the future," the woman among them said. The outsider shook his head. "There is no need to know my name. What I have done is insignificant." "If you wish to give thanks, thank the Progenitor. It was the Flesh Progenitor who transformed the first blood scion, granting ordinary people the power to kill demons." "Yet this is the Demon Realm, and I came here merely as a spark." "The same goes for you. Now that you are blood scions, do not remain in the village. You may wander the Demon Realm as I do, seeking out like-minded individuals to transform into blood scions." "Every blood scion you convert is another spark. For instance, the five of you are now five sparks. When you go on to convert others, you may become ten sparks, twenty sparks, forty sparks, or even a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand sparks." "When there are enough sparks, a single spark can start a prairie fire. When that time comes, it will be the end of demons!" With that, the outsider walked away step by step, vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye. In truth, the outsider was one of the Blood Scion Divine Guards dispatched by Lu Changsheng to the Demon Realm—a blood scion of tertiary growth. There were many such Blood Scion Divine Guards, roaming the Demon Realm and quietly converting blood scions everywhere. They kept a low profile, but remained grounded, truly sowing the sparks. One day, the sparks would ignite the plains, turning into a raging inferno that would burn countless demons to ash. *** In the blink of an eye, another half a year passed. Over the span of six months, the Flesh Temple expanded aggressively, and Lu Changsheng placed no more restrictions on them. Through this expansion, Lu Changsheng did indeed acquire demon plants smoothly. However, demon plants varied in efficacy. The potent ones could boost his progress by fifteen percent in a month, while the weaker ones could only provide five or eight percent. All in all, over the course of roughly six months, he managed an average progress of about ten percent per month. *Boom!* Lu Changsheng's entire body shuddered. At this moment, he broke through once more, shattering his limit. He advanced from quaternary growth to quinary growth! In this world, quinary growth rivaled an ancient demon, placing him essentially at the pinnacle of this realm. Of course, there were still demon ancestors, but the last public appearance of a demon ancestor had been over a thousand years ago. Presently, whether in the Demon Realm or human dynasties, those standing at the forefront were ancient demons! And Lu Changsheng had now matched ancient demons in realm. With Lu Changsheng overseeing it, the Flesh Temple would truly have nothing left to fear. Lu Changsheng summoned his attribute panel. Host: Lu Changsheng Title: Flesh Progenitor Flesh Martial Dao: Quinary Growth (1%) Sure enough, his Flesh Martial Dao had reached quinary growth. However, right after reaching quinary growth, Lu Changsheng discovered that consuming demon plants yielded negligible effects. In other words, advancing from quinary growth to senary growth would likely be extremely difficult and require a great deal of time. "Only a little over two years have passed, leaving more than seven years. There is plenty of time to advance slowly." Lu Changsheng was in no hurry. As long as a demon ancestor did not emerge, who could do anything to him? Therefore, he could allow the Flesh Temple to develop steadily while taking a breather to advance his Flesh Martial Dao at a measured pace. *Buzz.* Suddenly, Lu Changsheng raised his head and gazed into the void. "That is... the Martial Dao?" Lu Changsheng felt a slight jolt in his heart. What had he just seen? The Martial Dao! A Martial Dao had actually begun to coalesce in this world! "No, it is not a complete Martial Dao, but merely an embryonic martial dao." "Yet even an embryonic martial dao is extraordinary. It still requires the gathered will of all living beings to take shape." "Presently, the Flesh Temple has only expanded across a single province; the blood scions of one province alone could never gather enough will to form an embryonic martial dao." "Some upheaval must have occurred in this world, and it is most likely related to blood scions." "But what kind of upheaval could it be?" Lu Changsheng fell into deep thought. "Chen Ping, go investigate what major event has taken place in the Jing Dynasty or elsewhere—especially anything concerning blood scions." Lu Changsheng summoned Chen Ping. "Yes, Progenitor." Chen Ping withdrew and began mobilizing large numbers of people to gather intelligence. In truth, however, this effort was futile. This major event had occurred within the imperial palace of the Jing Dynasty—a closely guarded secret! At that moment, within the imperial palace, an emaciated old man abruptly snapped his eyes open. Just moments ago, he had swallowed a drop of blood—the blood of a blood scion. As a result, the old man's withered body was recovering at a speed visible to the naked eye. Moreover, his previously languid spirit was now brimming with vitality, his eyes shining with vibrant brilliance. "Congratulations, Your Majesty! Felicitations, Your Majesty, on your rebirth and renewed vigor!" "May Your Majesty rule the realm for myriad generations to come!" An elderly eunuch, weeping tears of joy, knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly. This old man was none other than the old emperor of the Jing Dynasty. The old emperor had not passed away. Having fallen terminally ill, he had been left with no choice but to pass the throne to his young son, afterward retreating into the imperial secret chamber to await death. He had originally been marked for death. Yet unexpectedly, the loyal old eunuch had managed, through various twists and turns, to procure a drop of blood from an unknown source. It was said to be the blood of a blood scion, capable of curing illness and prolonging life. Facing death anyway, the old emperor took a desperate gamble and swallowed the drop of blood. Then, he had been reborn, transformed into a blood scion. All his ailments had vanished without a trace. "Is this what a blood scion is?" "This strength, this sensation... it is truly wonderful!" "Blood scions... this is the true way forward for our Jing Dynasty!" The old emperor keenly perceived the terrifying potential of blood scions. The Jing Dynasty had suffered under the demon race for far too long. Now, the old emperor seemed to see a glimmer of hope in blood scions. However, there was only one pressing matter at hand right now: to reign over the world once more! "Go, contact the veteran ministers." "We shall hold court once more!" The old emperor was brimming with vigor, his tone resolute and brooking no argument.