Lu Changsheng Slays the Demon God, Renown Shakes the Eight Directions!

Step by step, the Demon God strode through the empty air. Very few people had ever laid eyes on Li Zong—or rather, the Demon God—even within the Demon God Ministry. Yet the soaring demon power that surged toward the heavens served as absolute proof of his identity. A demon god was, in truth, an ancient demon. The single word "ancient" was already enough to explain a great deal. Within the body of every ancient demon flowed the terrifying bloodlines of the primeval and archaic eras. Moreover, their lifespans were immense; they could live for at least ten thousand years, if not a hundred thousand or even a million. Li Zong, however, was an exception. Li Zong was a half-demon. His humanity had overwhelmed his demon nature. For a half-demon to become a demon god was exceedingly difficult. Li Zong was ancient. Long before the Jing Dynasty had even been established, he already existed. It was Li Zong who had assisted the founding emperor of the Jing Dynasty in establishing the realm. Thus, within the Jing Dynasty, Demon God Li Zong was a relic of antiquity, a true pillar of stability! As long as Li Zong stood, the Jing Dynasty would endure. "The Flesh Temple, the Flesh Progenitor!" "There is not the slightest trace of a demon upon you. You are no demon, yet you possess the means to slay them." "An anomaly! You truly are an anomaly!" "However, you have come to Jingdu, even brazenly storming my Demon God Ministry with such hostility. For what purpose?" Li Zong stared at Lu Changsheng, his eyes harboring genuine astonishment. He had never seen a form of life like Lu Changsheng. He was entirely different from a demon. Yet if he were called a human, could a mere human possess such terrifying power? Could a human slay demons? Every aspect of this Flesh Progenitor before him reeked of the bizarre. Lu Changsheng smiled faintly. "I came to Jingdu and held discussions with the emperor. His Majesty has already agreed to make the Flesh Temple the state religion of the Jing Dynasty, and to allow every subject across the empire to be transformed into a blood scion." "Only by transforming into blood scions can they contend with the demon race. However, the emperor said that Demon God Li Zong is the true pillar of stability for the Jing Dynasty, and that without your consent, complications would arise. Thus, I could only pay a personal visit to find the Demon God." "I wonder what the Demon God thinks of this?" Lu Changsheng hid nothing, stating the goal of his journey directly. Hearing this, Demon God Li Zong's expression shifted slightly. "Wild ambition! You actually wish to transform every person in the Jing Dynasty into a blood scion?" "When that day comes, will they still be part of the human race?" "No matter what, I will never agree!" "Furthermore, a Flesh Progenitor like you stirs chaos wherever you go. Today, this Demon God shall suppress you!" Li Zong drew in a deep breath. Boom! Li Zong unleashed his demon true form. In an instant, he transformed into an immense flood dragon. Indeed, a flood dragon. Demon God Li Zong was an ancient demon whose body carried the bloodline of the primeval dragon race, making him a scion of dragons. His strength was profoundly immense, standing out even among ancient demons. With him holding the line, the Jing Dynasty had remained as solid as a mountain. "What a magnificent flood dragon!" Lu Changsheng did not underestimate his foe. "Flesh True Body!" His flesh began to split and divide, swiftly covering his entire body. This time, Lu Changsheng was no longer at quaternary growth; he was at quinary growth. A Flesh True Body forged from quinary growth was naturally vastly different. Countless layers of flesh accumulated, causing his Flesh True Body to expand rapidly. One zhang, three zhang, five zhang, ten zhang... Soon, Lu Changsheng's Flesh True Body exceeded ten zhang in height, and it continued to swell as though it had no limit. As his body expanded, the momentum radiating from him surged accordingly. In the end, Lu Changsheng's Flesh True Body reached a terrifying height of more than twenty zhang. A twenty-zhang Flesh True Body radiated an intimidating aura. That aura alone was enough to suppress any demon king. Even Demon God Li Zong felt immense pressure. "Die!" Yet Li Zong had no retreat left. "Call the Wind and Summon the Rain!" Li Zong formed hand seals in the void with his massive talons, invoking demon magic. Those at the demon king realm and above could cast demon magic, but in the hands of an ancient demon, such magic was far more terrifying, making moving mountains and draining seas child's play. A flood dragon was naturally gifted at calling the wind and summoning the rain. At once, ferocious gales howled and torrential rain poured down. Yet the area of effect was remarkably concentrated, falling entirely around Lu Changsheng. The howling gale felt capable of stripping the flesh from bone, while the torrential rain seemed capable of melting flesh and blood away. This was demon magic, imbued with a sliver of this world's rules. However, Lu Changsheng stood quietly in midair, letting the wild winds buffet him and the heavy rain pelt his form. His flesh might disintegrate or melt, but it regenerated just as rapidly. In fact, the rate of disintegration was not even as fast as the speed at which his flesh regrew. "If this is the extent of a demon god's methods, you truly disappoint me." Lu Changsheng shook his head. His figure swayed slightly. Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Masses of flesh flew out, coalescing into nine distinct clusters in the blink of an eye. These nine masses of flesh took shape swiftly, turning into nine individuals identical to Lu Changsheng. Every single one was over twenty zhang tall, looking immensely colossal, their auras matching his own down to the finest detail. Including Lu Changsheng himself, there were ten in total. Ten giants over twenty zhang tall encircled Li Zong, exuding an unimaginable sense of oppression. These were avatars! Furthermore, they differed from ordinary avatars. These figures were physical and real, their momentum and power virtually identical to his own. Every one of these avatars was formed from Lu Changsheng's divided flesh. However strong the flesh he divided out was, that was how strong the avatar would be. The strength of an avatar depended entirely on the flesh Lu Changsheng allocated to it. Lu Changsheng had long accumulated massive amounts of flesh, far more than he could ever use up. What he unleashed now was the flesh he had stockpiled day after day. Consequently, each flesh avatar possessed sixty to seventy percent of his true strength. Together, the nine avatars and Lu Changsheng's true body reached out their hands simultaneously. "Heaven!" "Overturning!" "Seal!" It was the Heaven-Overturning Seal once more. Demon God Li Zong felt the world spinning. The void seemed sealed off, and heaven and earth inverted. A terrifying force squeezed him from all directions, suffocating him. He attempted to make a desperate stand, but when the ten colossal palms descended, he realized how laughable his so-called desperate struggle truly was. Boom! As the ten massive hands struck down, Demon God Li Zong's demon body—that colossal flood dragon—exploded on impact. It burst apart completely, reducing to a pool of minced flesh. Naturally, Li Zong was not afraid. True demons were immortal, and he was a demon god. Even for a fellow ancient demon, slaying him would be an arduous task. Yet he had ultimately underestimated the Flesh Progenitor, Lu Changsheng. The moment his flood dragon body was smashed into paste, Lu Changsheng's nine flesh avatars suddenly collapsed. They dissolved into pools of bloody water, washing directly over the minced flesh of Demon God Li Zong. "Aaargh!" Li Zong shrieked in agony. Pain! Incomparable, searing pain! Moreover, he could clearly feel that as Lu Changsheng's massive quantity of flesh engulfed him, it began hungrily devouring his own. Once devoured, that flesh was lost to him forever. He could even feel himself growing weaker and weaker by the moment. This sensation jolted Li Zong wide awake. A faint premonition of death crept over him. He understood that if this continued, he would die! This was no exaggeration. Connecting this to the rumors surrounding the Flesh Temple—that blood scions could slay true demons—how difficult could it be for this Flesh Progenitor before him to kill a demon god? Li Zong had never imagined that he would one day be slain by another. He had truly never entertained such a thought. Yet now, he stood on the brink of demise. He was genuinely going to die. Soon, his demon body had lost ten percent of its flesh. Ten percent, twenty percent, thirty percent, forty percent, fifty percent... When Li Zong lost half of his flesh, panic overtook him completely. "No! Flesh Progenitor, I agree to make the Flesh Temple the state religion of the Jing Dynasty!" "Stop, quickly! I will help you promote the Flesh Temple..." "I am a demon god! I know countless secrets of the demon race..." Li Zong screamed, frantically shouting promises to bargain for his life. Alas, it was too late. Lu Changsheng knew full well that a demon god could never truly be controlled. Since he could not control him, it was best to kill him outright! Besides, his grand momentum had already formed; a demon god was no longer of any use and would only hinder the Flesh Temple. Sixty percent, seventy percent, eighty percent, ninety percent... Ultimately, all of Demon God Li Zong's flesh was devoured clean by Lu Changsheng. Li Zong's aura vanished entirely. A dignified demon god. A proud ancient demon. The pillar of stability for the entire Jing Dynasty. In the end, under the watchful gaze of the crowd, he perished in utter humiliation. The other greater demons and demon kings did not dare take even a single step forward. "Dead..." "Lord Demon God is dead? How... how is that possible?" "He is truly dead. Lord Demon God's aura has disappeared completely..." "Lord Demon God was an ancient demon, one said to have lived for several thousand years..." Stormy waves of shock churned within the hearts of the many greater demons and demon kings of the Demon God Ministry. A demon god! That was a legendary existence. To varying degrees, all of them had received favors from Demon God Li Zong. It was even Demon God Li Zong who had stepped in to help their human nature suppress their demon nature. Everyone knew Li Zong was ancient—so ancient that before the Jing Dynasty was even founded, he was already an ancient demon. Yet such a terrifying, supposedly immortal demon god who had lived for thousands of years had now fallen. Slain by the hand of the Flesh Progenitor. For a time, the demon kings and greater demons dared not make a single move, silenced by sheer terror. Lu Changsheng glanced at the half-demons of the Demon God Ministry and said calmly, "All half-demons of the Demon God Ministry shall remain at their posts. None are permitted to leave without authorization. For now, everything continues as usual." "Come, take me to your ministry's treasury." Lu Changsheng's gaze settled upon a demon king. The demon king took a deep breath, not daring to disobey Lu Changsheng's command. If the man could slay even a demon god, what was a mere demon king like him? Thus, the demon king guided Lu Changsheng deep into the Demon God Ministry, arriving before the treasury. "Basically all the treasures of the Demon God Ministry are kept here," the demon king said. Lu Changsheng nodded. "Open it." Soon, the treasury doors slowly parted. Lu Changsheng immediately caught a multitude of fragrances. Demon plants! It was the scent of various demon plants. Sure enough, following the scents, Lu Changsheng quickly found a dazzling array of demon plants. The quantity was staggering. "Wait, this many demon plants?" "Even with the Demon God Ministry's profound foundation, it shouldn't possess this many, should it?" "Speak. What is going on here?" Lu Changsheng keenly sensed that something was amiss. There were far too many demon plants in the treasury. Moreover, some of them had clearly been harvested quite recently. Yet weren't demon plants supposed to exist only within the Demon Realm? Even a single demon plant leaking into the outside world was extraordinarily rare. How could there be so many freshly harvested demon plants sitting in this treasury? This was definitely unusual. The demon king replied respectfully, "These demon plants were all grown by Lord Demon God himself." "It is said that back then, Lord Demon God brought back some soil capable of growing demon plants from the Demon Realm." "That soil is known as demon soil." "Lord Demon God had been secretly cultivating demon plants ever since, which is why there are so many of them in the treasury." Lu Changsheng's eyes lit up. Cultivating demon plants? There was even demon soil? This was an unexpected windfall! "Quickly, take me to see the demon soil." With a sweep of his hand, Lu Changsheng collected all the demon plants in the treasury. Led by the demon king, he arrived at a small medicinal garden behind the Demon God Ministry. This small garden was where the demon soil lay—the place where the Demon God cultivated demon plants. Lu Changsheng examined the demon soil carefully. A distinct aura of demon power was indeed contained within it, very easy to identify. However, it was only a small plot, containing a modest amount of demon soil. The demon plants grown upon it required at least several years, decades, or even a century to mature. If Lu Changsheng hoped to exploit this soil quickly, he would be disappointed. "Never mind. The demon plants accumulated in the treasury are enough to sustain my cultivation for a long time." Lu Changsheng was not overly dismayed. This was merely the treasury of the Demon God Ministry. What about the imperial palace's treasury? Lu Changsheng refused to believe the imperial treasury held no demon plants. There were bound to be some. "With the Demon God resolved, it is time to visit the imperial palace again." "While I oversee the palace, I can summon the people of the Flesh Temple to enter Jingdu." "Then we can begin converting blood scions." Lu Changsheng already had a plan in mind. He had no interest in personally converting people. Doing it all by himself would exhaust him to death. Naturally, the blood scions of the Flesh Temple could do the work for him. Lu Changsheng only needed to hold down the imperial palace and Jingdu. As long as he, the Flesh Progenitor, sat within the palace and watched over the capital, the Jing Dynasty would not fall into chaos. Any petty schemes would be ruthlessly suppressed by him, ensuring that the conversion of the entire Jing Dynasty proceeded without a hitch! In the blink of an eye, three months passed. Chen Ping and the others had arrived in Jingdu, bringing most of the Flesh Temple's blood scions with them. By now, nearly all of Jingdu was under the control of the Flesh Temple. The princes, dukes, and nobles were the first batch to be converted into blood scions. Afterward, the commoners of Jingdu were converted in an orderly manner. Because the benefits of becoming a blood scion were immense and the effects immediate, the conversion process met with virtually no resistance. At most, there were a few minor pockets of dissent, but whenever the Flesh Temple's Guard Army mobilized, they easily suppressed them. Meanwhile, Lu Changsheng cultivated in peace within a secret chamber in the imperial palace. Lu Changsheng opened his eyes. He called up his attribute panel. A flash of light appeared before his eyes, displaying his various stats. Host: Lu Changsheng Title: Flesh Progenitor Flesh Martial Dao: Quinary Growth (16%) After three months of diligent cultivation fueled by large quantities of demon plants—which Lu Changsheng consumed without the slightest hesitation—his progress had averaged five percent per month. Consequently, his quinary growth progress had reached sixteen percent. At this rate, it would take only a little over a year for him to potentially break through to senary growth, reaching the level of a Nascent Soul or Martial Saint. Of course, the prerequisite was having an abundant supply of demon plants. Otherwise, without them, the progress of his Flesh Martial Dao would grind to a complete halt. "Progenitor, I have a matter to report." At that moment, the emperor's voice came from outside the secret chamber. "Speak." Lu Changsheng opened the chamber, allowing the emperor inside. The emperor now looked much younger, vibrant and full of vigor. He bowed respectfully and said, "Reporting to the Progenitor, envoys from the Chen Dynasty, the Han Dynasty, the Yu Dynasty, and others have arrived one after another, inquiring about the blood scions." "How should our Jing Dynasty reply to these foreign envoys? I request your guidance, Progenitor." Though he was the exalted emperor and supreme ruler of the land, in a world of extraordinary powers, those who held transcendent might were the true sovereigns. As for the emperor, he was merely a tool. The emperor understood his position clearly and carried out his duties diligently. In matters such as this, he was exceptionally cautious, coming in person to report and await the Flesh Progenitor's decision. "Oh?" "They are certainly well-informed." "Your Majesty, you need not hold back. You may reveal all the benefits of becoming a blood scion to the envoys." "In fact, if possible, you may even have a group of blood scions accompany those envoys back, converting the royals, ministers, and nobles of those dynasties." "Remember, your task is to promote the Flesh Temple by any means necessary, at all costs, and have as many people as possible converted into blood scions!" Lu Changsheng instructed him thoroughly. "Understood, Progenitor." The emperor understood completely. Promote the Flesh Temple and convert blood scions. In fact, even if the Flesh Temple itself was not promoted, it did not matter, as long as blood scions were created. He knew very well why those envoys had come to ask about the blood scions. After all, which of the dignitaries in those dynasties—be they emperors, ministers, or aristocrats—was not advanced in years? When people grew old, their greatest obsession was to live longer. And blood scions seemed to possess such miraculous power; how could they not be tempted? "Very well. Go and make the arrangements." Lu Changsheng waved his hand. "Yes, Progenitor." The emperor respectfully withdrew. Lu Changsheng narrowed his eyes slightly. "Chen Ping." Soon, Chen Ping was summoned. "How is the Flesh Temple faring at present?" "And how is the conversion of blood scions proceeding?" Lu Changsheng asked. "The Flesh Temple has now become the state religion of the Jing Dynasty, and countless people have joined our ranks." "As for the conversions, they are proceeding exceedingly well. Not only in Jingdu, but throughout the various regions of the Jing Dynasty, conversions are underway in an orderly fashion." "According to current estimates, within a year at most, the entire population of the Jing Dynasty will be transformed into blood scions!" Lu Changsheng nodded. The situation was looking exceptionally bright! Converting the entire population of the Jing Dynasty within a year meant hundreds of millions of people. Once completed, the number of blood scions would reach a staggering figure. By then, his grand momentum would be fully established! No one would be able to stop him. Lu Changsheng looked up toward the empty sky. He could clearly sense that the embryonic martial dao was gradually taking shape, coalescing with every passing moment. Before long, the Martial Dao would fully crystallize. When that time came, Lu Changsheng would merely have to wait for the ten-year period to conclude. "You may leave. Continue gathering demon plants." "Yes, Progenitor." Chen Ping departed. Lu Changsheng glanced at his remaining demon plants. Using them continuously without regard for cost consumed them at an alarming rate. The accumulation built up over so many years by the Demon God Ministry had been almost entirely depleted by Lu Changsheng in just three months. At most, the remnants could sustain him for one more month, adding another five percent to his progress. "I still need to find more demon plants." "I wonder what the situation is like in the Demon Realm?" Lu Changsheng looked toward the direction of the Demon Realm. However, there was no rush. He would observe the situation for a while longer. Time continued to pass. A month went by, and Lu Changsheng's demon plants were completely exhausted. Without demon plants, the progress of his Flesh Martial Dao ground almost to a halt. That was not to say he could not cultivate or improve at all; even without demon plants, his Flesh Martial Dao could still advance. However, the speed of improvement was exceedingly slow—perhaps only three to five percent in an entire year. At such a sluggish pace, who knew how long it would take to break through to senary growth? Lu Changsheng continued to wait. The envoys from the other dynasties took blood scions back with them, and the bloodline began spreading across all the human realms. Ministers, nobles, and dignitaries were converted into blood scions. The benefits were undeniable, causing countless people to flock to the transformation. Once a person became a blood scion, they could convert others in turn. As a result, the number of blood scions snowballed, surging rapidly until the count skyrocketed by the day. Lu Changsheng also received some demon plants from the other dynasties in succession. These were parts of those dynasties' reserves. After all, many dynastic elites had collected demon plants to some degree. However, no dynasty possessed a figure like Li Zong, who had brought back demon soil from the Demon Realm to cultivate them continuously. Therefore, the quantities were rather modest, though they still allowed Lu Changsheng to cultivate for another three months. Lu Changsheng called up his attribute panel. Host: Lu Changsheng Title: Flesh Progenitor Flesh Martial Dao: Quinary Growth (36%) "It has been roughly three years since I arrived in this world." "In three years, my Flesh Martial Dao reached quinary growth, and its progress has attained thirty-six percent." "However, the demon plants in the human kingdoms have basically been scavenged clean. Even if a few remain, they won't amount to much." "It seems I must continue sending people into the Demon Realm to help me gather demon plants." A glint of determination flashed in Lu Changsheng's eyes. For the time being, he would not go to the Demon Realm in person. Although the Demon Ancestor had not shown himself for thousands of years, who could say what was truly going on? The Demon Ancestor was a terrifying existence comparable to senary growth. If Lu Changsheng went to the Demon Realm now and ran into the Demon Ancestor, the trouble would be immense, and years of effort might go down the drain. Besides, only three years had passed; he still had seven years remaining. He had plenty of time. He could afford to lie low for a few more years. Yet just because Lu Changsheng would not enter the Demon Realm did not mean he could not obtain demon plants from it. He still had to find a way to acquire them, and the method was quite simple: Keep sending blood scions into the Demon Realm. Moreover, they could not be ordinary blood scions, but quaternary-growth blood scions comparable to demon kings! With Lu Changsheng's current quinary-growth strength, converting quaternary-growth blood scions came at a certain cost. Yet given enough time, he could still produce many of them. He refused to believe that blood scions rivaling demon kings would fail to harvest demon plants. What was more, if Chen Ping brought exceptionally talented blood scions before him—such as those who had cultivated the Flesh Martial Dao on their own to reach tertiary growth—elevating them to quaternary growth would require far less effort. Thus, Lu Changsheng issued the command. The entire Flesh Temple sprang into action. Tertiary-growth blood scions were brought before Lu Changsheng one after another. Whenever Lu Changsheng had spare time, he exerted himself to elevate these individuals, subsequently deploying the quaternary-growth blood scions to the Demon Realm. A steady stream of quaternary-growth blood scions entered the Demon Realm, bringing earth-shaking upheaval to the entire land. Yet Lu Changsheng himself remained stationed in Jingdu, unwilling to take even a single step beyond its borders. One year, two years, three years... Another three years slipped by. Lu Changsheng had been in this world for six full years. On this day, Lu Changsheng suddenly sensed something. Rumble! "This is... the Martial Dao coalescing!" Lu Changsheng's heart jolted. He rose abruptly, left the secret chamber, and flew straight into the sky. He attuned his senses to the void. Sure enough, the embryonic martial dao that had once been hazy in the void had now fully coalesced. The Martial Dao had taken form. This world had finally gained another Great Dao—one known as the Martial Dao! The Martial Dao hung suspended like a bright moon in the sky. The moment it emerged, every blood scion could sense it, for the Martial Dao had coalesced from the collective will of all living beings. And that collective will belonged almost entirely to the blood scions. After all, across these three years, blood scions had spread throughout the entire world. The emergence of the Martial Dao brought immense benefits to the blood scions. With the Martial Dao formed, it served as a guiding beacon for them all. They no longer needed the Flesh Temple to proselytize. Any blood scion who reached tertiary growth or above could sense the Martial Dao. Moreover, deep within their consciousness, they understood its current limit. Now that this Martial Dao had coalesced, its upper limit was quinary growth—Lu Changsheng's current realm. A step further would be senary growth. The existence of an upper limit meant that every blood scion who practiced the Martial Dao had hope of reaching that pinnacle. Of course, it was merely hope. Yet this revelation undoubtedly galvanized countless blood scions. It allowed them to truly see a path ahead—a path to truly contend with the demon race!