When Lu Changsheng opened his eyes again, he found himself deep in a world of ice and snow.
All around was a vast expanse of white.
Heavy snowflakes drifted down in thick sheets.
With a shift of his mind, Lu Changsheng reached out with his senses into the void.
In the void, with just a slight probe, he could perceive a stream of information.
Within that information was a massive screen of light.
Names were displayed one after another across it.
Behind each name, a count of martial daos was clearly marked.
For instance, Lu Changsheng located his own name.
Beside it, twenty-three martial daos were noted.
Yes, not a dozen or so, but twenty-three martial daos!
Thinking back carefully, during his Battles of Dao Transformation in the Earth Saint Dao Field, both Lu Feng and Zhang Shun had possessed extraordinary strength.
They had certainly defeated many powerful martial artists before him, and those defeated warriors likely held multiple martial daos.
Taking all that together, having twenty-three martial daos was actually quite good for Lu Changsheng.
However, he was ranked very low.
The martial artist at the top of the rankings was named Ouyang Qingyun.
He possessed a staggering fifty-eight martial daos, though even he had yet to reach the level of a Master of a Hundred Daos.
This was evidently the ranking board of the Dao Transformation Battlefield.
Every Earth Saint martial artist who entered the Dao Transformation Battlefield could check the status of the leaderboard at any time.
Of course, these rankings were merely the beginning.
Next to the leaderboard was a countdown:
One hundred days!
Yes, they could only remain in the Dao Transformation Battlefield for one hundred days.
After one hundred days, the Dao Transformation Battlefield would conclude.
When that time came, the final standings on the leaderboard would decide everything.
The top one hundred ranked martial artists would earn entry into the twenty-one top martial dao sacred grounds!
"The Dao Transformation Battlefield has no rules whatsoever. As long as you can kill your opponent and plunder their martial dao, you can do whatever it takes at any cost."
"Teaming up to surround and kill someone is naturally permitted."
"Sneak attacks, assassinations, and the like—in short, any underhanded means can be used."
Thoughts flashed through Lu Changsheng's mind.
The Dao Transformation Battlefield was different from the Battles of Dao Transformation.
In the Battles of Dao Transformation at the Earth Saint Dao Field, fights were strictly one-on-one.
Here, however, everything was fair game, and any method was allowed.
In that case, Lu Changsheng needed to formulate his own approach in this battlefield.
And that was—sweep through!
Yes, an outright sweep!
Such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to encounter so many perfected Earth Saints and slaughter them without any reservations was exceptionally rare.
It was practically something one could only dream of coming across.
After all, under normal circumstances, behind nearly every perfected Earth Saint stood some sort of power—perhaps even a faction backed by a Heavenly Saint.
Against perfected Earth Saints like that, even Lu Changsheng could not slaughter them with utter impunity.
But now was different.
In the Dao Transformation Battlefield, as long as one was strong enough, one could slaughter recklessly throughout these hundred days.
And by doing so, plunder countless martial daos.
Of course, there were only one hundred days.
Perhaps this was precisely why the mighty beings behind the Earth Saint Dao Field had opened the Dao Transformation Battlefield in the first place—to give rise to the very pinnacle of Earth Saint martial artists.
The only problem was: after plundering so many martial artists, would there be enough time to refine their daos?
This was a rather serious issue.
After all, even for Lu Changsheng, refining another Earth Saint's martial dao required a full month.
The Dao Transformation Battlefield lasted only a hundred days in total, roughly a little over three months.
Where would anyone find the time to refine so many martial daos?
Buzz!
Right at that moment, several dozen li away from Lu Changsheng, a subtle, peculiar ripple stirred.
"Hm?"
"An Earth Saint?"
Lu Changsheng's eyes lit up.
His luck was quite good—someone had actually been allocated near him.
Then what was he waiting for?
Naturally... it was time to sweep!
Whoosh!
The next moment, Lu Changsheng's figure shot toward the source of the ripple.
On the other end, Lu Qianqiu was also taking in his surroundings.
He had just arrived in the Dao Transformation Battlefield and was still adjusting to the environment.
Lu Qianqiu had previously participated in three Battles of Dao Transformation in the Earth Saint Dao Field, and his strength was decent. Even if he chose to advance to Heavenly Saint right now, he would have some hope of success.
"In the Dao Transformation Battlefield, wanton slaughter is permitted. People can even gang up or launch sneak attacks."
"As long as you kill an Earth Saint, you obtain their martial dao."
"With my strength, breaking into the top one hundred won't be easy. Taking excessive risks would be far too dangerous."
"I have already undergone Dao transformation three times. Even without making the top hundred, I still have a great chance of advancing to Heavenly Saint in the future. Therefore, I won't vie for the top hundred. I need to find a place to hide, wait for opportunities to ambush others, and strive to plunder as many martial daos as possible to bolster my foundation before breaking through to Heavenly Saint!"
Lu Qianqiu had a very realistic assessment of himself.
He was practical.
He did not dwell on the top hundred at all.
Given his strength, entering the top hundred would be difficult.
Yet his goal was not to join the twenty-one top martial dao sacred grounds anyway, but to gain more martial daos so he could become a Heavenly Saint.
There were actually many Earth Saints who shared Lu Qianqiu's mindset.
Their sole objective was to plunder martial daos and advance to Heavenly Saint.
They treated the Dao Transformation Battlefield like a series of Battles of Dao Transformation.
Undergoing even one more Dao transformation was the greatest success!
Therefore, hiding away and biding his time was the most suitable strategy for him.
With his mind made up, Lu Qianqiu was about to leave and find a hiding spot.
Suddenly, a wave of dread seized Lu Qianqiu's soul, and his expression changed drastically.
"Not good, someone is coming!"
"Their presence has already locked onto me. I have to get out of here!"
Lu Qianqiu had zero desire to clash head-on, immediately fleeing at top speed.
He knew all too well that in the Dao Transformation Battlefield, anyone hunting other Earth Saints openly and brazenly had to possess supreme confidence in their own strength.
Lu Qianqiu had no wish to gamble with his life.
However, it was already too late for him to run.
Whoosh!
With a flicker, Lu Changsheng appeared directly in Lu Qianqiu's path.
Lu Changsheng wasted no words.
He manifested his Earth Saint Dao body on the spot.
Then, a colossal hand clawed viciously down toward Lu Qianqiu.
Rumble!
The void trembled.
Lu Qianqiu also manifested his Earth Saint Dao body immediately, attempting to block Lu Changsheng's strike.
Alarms blared in his heart; the Earth Saint before him was clearly terrifying.
Yet escape was impossible now.
He had no choice but to meet the blow head-on!
Yet how frightening was a strike from Lu Changsheng?
Even without invoking his Flesh Martial Dao or the Phenomenal Image of Heaven and Earth, the sheer might of his Earth Saint Dao body alone was world-shaking.
With a single claw, Lu Changsheng effortlessly tore Lu Qianqiu's defense to shreds.
What was worse, Lu Qianqiu's Earth Saint Dao body proved as flimsy as paper, crushed apart beneath Lu Changsheng's brute force.
"Ahhh!"
Lu Qianqiu let out a bloodcurdling scream.
With his Earth Saint Dao body crushed, it collapsed instantly.
Without even a chance to catch his breath, his physical form burst into a mist of blood.
Dead.
Lu Qianqiu could not even withstand a single move, ground into dust by Lu Changsheng.
One had to realize that Lu Qianqiu was a perfected Earth Saint who had undergone Dao transformation three times; he was by no means weak.
Yet before Lu Changsheng, he was utterly vulnerable.
"Rather weak," Lu Changsheng murmured with a hint of disappointment.
In truth, he hoped to encounter formidable martial artists.
That way, he could potentially acquire far more martial daos.
Even so, he stripped Lu Qianqiu's martial daos away and integrated them into his Infinite Martial Dao.
A glance revealed that the man possessed four martial daos.
"Four martial daos, not bad. The only problem is refining them might take a month..."
Lu Changsheng frowned.
He then merged the four martial daos into his Infinite Martial Dao and began attempting to refine them.
Refining martial daos was second nature to Lu Changsheng by now. He did not need to enter secluded cultivation to do so; he could refine them anytime and anywhere.
Still, no matter how adept he was, refining martial daos required at least a month.
If things went poorly, it might take over a month or nearly two.
This had been true after every single Battle of Dao Transformation he had fought.
Yet just as Lu Changsheng circulated his Infinite Martial Dao and started refining the newly acquired four martial daos, an anomaly occurred.
"Hm?"
"This feeling... Why is the refinement speed so fast?"
"It feels as though a mysterious force is lending me a hand, rapidly refining these four martial daos."
"This mysterious force originates from the void of this entire realm. Is it the power of an array within the Dao Transformation Battlefield? Or the power of that spirit treasure from the Earth Saint Dao Field?"
Lu Changsheng looked up toward the void.
However, he could not sense the situation outside.
To pull tens of thousands of perfected Earth Saint martial artists into the Dao Transformation Battlefield, whether via an array or a spirit treasure, was something that far exceeded the level of an Earth Saint.
Even an ordinary Heavenly Saint likely could not achieve it.
It probably required the power of a peak Heavenly Saint, or perhaps something beyond the Heavenly Saint realm altogether!
Under the assistance of this mysterious power, the speed at which Lu Changsheng refined the four martial daos accelerated countlessly.
What would normally have taken a month to refine now took—
One shichen!
In a mere two hours, he had refined all four martial daos, integrating them completely into his Infinite Martial Dao.
Lu Changsheng reached out to perceive the leaderboard in the void.
Right away, he saw the count of martial daos displayed beside his name.
It had risen from twenty-three to twenty-seven—an increase of exactly four!
Understanding dawned upon Lu Changsheng.
"So that's how it is."
"No wonder Masters of a Hundred Daos or even Masters of a Thousand Daos can emerge in the Dao Transformation Battlefield."
"It turns out that refining martial daos here receives the aid of a mysterious force, drastically improving refinement efficiency. The time required can even be shortened to a mere two hours, barely interfering with one's Dao transformations."
"As long as you can defeat other Earth Saints, however many martial daos you plunder, you will definitely be able to refine them all."
Lu Changsheng now fully comprehended the true significance of the Dao Transformation Battlefield.
It was madness.
Here, one could rapidly increase their tally of martial daos in a very short period, becoming a Master of a Hundred Daos or even a Master of a Thousand Daos.
If one missed the Dao Transformation Battlefield, attempting to reach such levels elsewhere was practically impossible.
The mere requirement of one complete Martial Saint-level martial dao fragment for a single transformation was enough to drive anyone to despair.
Clearly, the Dao Transformation Battlefield was an opportunity—an immense fortune!
"Now the only problem is: how do I find more Earth Saints?"
Lu Changsheng looked toward the distance.
He was currently situated in a boundless expanse of snow.
There was not a soul around.
Who knew where the tens of thousands of Earth Saints were scattered?
"I'll keep searching for them."
Lu Changsheng had no intention of concealing his aura.
In fact, he would welcome other Earth Saints joining forces to surround and kill him.
That would save him the trouble of hunting them down.
Thus, Lu Changsheng released his aura boldly as he searched across the snowfields.
This attitude was arrogant and domineering to the extreme, showing not the slightest reverence for the Dao Transformation Battlefield.
Sure enough, the method proved effective.
Just two days later, Lu Changsheng was targeted.
Three Earth Saints, not leaking a single trace of aura, had masked their presence completely.
Concealed within a formation array, they had spotted Lu Changsheng from afar.
Their eyes lit up at once.
Yet they did not rush to act, watching him patiently for a while.
"This Earth Saint doesn't bother hiding his aura at all, barging around so ostentatiously. Is he overconfident, or does he simply not understand how perilous the Dao Transformation Battlefield is?"
"Perhaps a bit of both."
"Regardless, he's alone, while there are three of us. Haven't we dealt with martial artists who have no respect for this battlefield before? We'll just kill him."
"With our combined strength, even if he turns out to be tough and we can't take him down immediately, retreating safely won't be an issue."
"When do we strike?"
The three conferred amongst themselves.
"Wait."
"Wait a little longer until he draws closer, then make our move."
"Before that, we cannot let out a shred of aura."
Having agreed on a plan, the trio waited silently.
Lu Changsheng was unaware of the trio's presence.
When his divine sense swept by, he could not detect their hidden array.
Step by step, he drew nearer.
Soon, he was only a hundred zhang away from them, yet he still showed no awareness.
A hundred zhang, eighty zhang, fifty zhang, thirty zhang, ten zhang...
Once Lu Changsheng was within ten zhang of them, the trio could no longer hold back.
"Strike!"
As the three erupted with all their might, the array around them shattered instantly.
Simultaneously, three world-shaking Earth Saint Dao bodies materialized in the void.
Rumble!
The moment their Dao bodies appeared, they unleashed a thunderous onslaught toward Lu Changsheng, giving him no time to react.
They were incredibly fast.
A distance within ten zhang was virtually nonexistent for Earth Saints.
"Hm?"
"Three Earth Saints?"
Lu Changsheng showed no panic; instead, he felt a flicker of pleasant surprise.
They really had shown up.
These Earth Saints had secretly banded together and coordinated an ambush upon detecting his aura.
Three Earth Saints in one go!
His two days of wandering the snowfields had not been in vain.
Without the slightest hesitation, Lu Changsheng fully unleashed his Earth Saint Dao body.
A colossal Dao body manifested across the void.
"Transform."
In the blink of an eye, Lu Changsheng assumed a form with three heads and six arms.
Then, all six arms slammed directly toward the three Earth Saints.
The immense, overbearing momentum was terrifying to behold.
"What?!"
"A tough nut to crack!"
"With this kind of strength... he deliberately baited us out!"
"I told you, no one entering the Dao Transformation Battlefield is simple..."
Shocked, the three immediately realized Lu Changsheng's intention.
They had fallen right into his trap.
Yet even if they wanted to flee now, it was too late.
To have any hope of escape, they would have to withstand Lu Changsheng's strike first.
"Block it!"
"With the three of us joining forces, taking one blow won't be a problem."
"After this strike, we run immediately!"
They made their decision in an instant.
They were thoroughly experienced when it came to running.
When facing an overwhelming foe, one had to know how to flee; otherwise, they would have perished long ago.
In the Dao Transformation Battlefield, one had to be shrewd and adapt to the situation.
Lu Changsheng was clearly a dangerous adversary.
They could not take him head-on; they could only run.
However, while they believed they could endure a single blow from Lu Changsheng, what was reality?
They had overestimated themselves, and underestimated Lu Changsheng even more.
When the two sides collided head-on, Lu Changsheng's six arms crashed into the trio's attacks, shattering them instantly like dry twigs before a storm.
"What?!"
The three were horrified.
Yet Lu Changsheng's massive palms, having pulverized their all-out assault, came crashing down upon their Earth Saint Dao bodies.
"Ahhh!"
Screams broke out in unison.
Their Earth Saint Dao bodies fractured inch by inch, disintegrating on the spot.
Once a Dao body collapsed, even an Earth Saint was doomed!
Splat!
With a muted squelch, beneath Lu Changsheng's six arms, the three Earth Saints were crushed like paper into paste.
Dead.
Three Earth Saints fighting as one could not even withstand a single blow from Lu Changsheng.
"Too weak."
"Even combined, they were this frail."
"They didn't even have the resolve to fight to the end."
Lu Changsheng shook his head.
He could naturally tell that the three had lacked the resolve to fight.
From the very outset, they had planned to flee.
Unfortunately for them, once targeted by him, escape was out of the question.
With the three Earth Saints destroyed, Lu Changsheng promptly channeled his Infinite Martial Dao, seizing all their martial daos.
Probing carefully, he mused, "Only eight martial daos between the three of them?"
"Truly weak. No wonder they teamed up."
"With strength like that, if they didn't join forces, they would just be cannon fodder..."
Lu Changsheng finally understood why they had banded together.
Their individual strength was simply too weak.
Without teaming up, they would almost certainly die. By joining hands, they stood a slim chance of survival.
However, meeting Lu Changsheng, their fate was no different.
Lu Changsheng merged the eight martial daos into his Infinite Martial Dao, immediately utilizing the battlefield's unique environment to begin refining them.
In merely two hours, the refinement was complete.
At this point, the number of Lu Changsheng's martial daos surged from twenty-seven to thirty-five.
Thirty-five martial daos was not actually a huge number; it wasn't even enough to enter the top hundred.
Yet Lu Changsheng was in no hurry. Only two or three days had passed so far.
There was still plenty of time to slowly plunder more.
"Does this vast snowfield have intelligent life?"
"Or rather, does civilization exist here?"
A thought surfaced in Lu Changsheng's mind.
Where exactly was the Dao Transformation Battlefield located?
Lu Changsheng did not truly know.
He only knew that this was likely a real world.
Yet up until now, he had not seen any "natives" of this realm.
Lu Changsheng continued searching the snowfields.
Unfortunately, his luck seemed to have run dry.
For three full days, Lu Changsheng found nothing, encountering not a single Earth Saint.
Although an Earth Saint's sensory reach was vast, this world was vaster still—virtually boundless.
However, flying continuously, Lu Changsheng finally crossed out of the snowfields.
Beyond the snowy expanse, it was no longer a realm of ice and frost.
As he flew farther south, the skies cleared and the air grew warmer.
"Hm?"
"People!"
Lu Changsheng seemed to detect something from afar, his eyes lighting up.
His figure immediately turned into a streak of light, darting into the distance.
Currently, along a wide road, a convoy of carriages was traveling slowly.
This was a merchant caravan led by the Zhou family's eldest young mistress in person, escorting a shipment of goods.
Bandits swarmed the roads like ox hairs, making the journey fraught with hardship.
And now, they had encountered the infamous Black Mountain Bandits.
It was said that the Black Mountain Bandits had three chiefs, each possessing terrifying strength and reputedly not far from "Ascending Heaven."
They had turned to banditry out of desperation, having been placed on the imperial court's wanted list.
Now, the bandits blocked the Zhou family's carriages.
"Leave the cargo and you may go."
This was the bandits' rule.
The Black Mountain Bandits typically robbed only goods and silver, rarely killing travelers.
Of course, if anyone dared resist, they slaughtered everyone.
With the bandits' fierce reputation preceding them, panic gripped the entire caravan.
"Eldest Miss, what should we do?"
"The Black Mountain Bandits only want the goods and usually spare lives. If we resist, they'll butcher us all. Shouldn't we part with our wealth to avert disaster?" the old steward could not help but urge.
"No," Eldest Miss Zhou replied. "This cargo is the lifeblood of our Zhou family. If we lose it, the Zhou family is finished."
"I have heard the Black Mountain Bandits operate with a certain code and follow rules."
"I will go down myself to negotiate with them."
Veiled, Eldest Miss Zhou stepped forward before the Black Mountain Bandits.
"Heroes, this cargo is a matter of life and death for our Zhou family; we cannot afford to lose it under any circumstances. If you would graciously allow us passage, our Zhou family is willing to present three thousand taels of silver!"
With that, she had her servants bring out three thousand taels of silver.
Her words carried full sincerity.
These three thousand taels amounted to virtually all the liquid silver the caravan had available.
"Three thousand taels of silver?"
The bandits exchanged glances.
Truth be told, even if they took the goods, fencing them for cash would be difficult.
Receiving three thousand taels of hard silver directly was quite different.
Of course, they had another choice: slaughter everyone and claim both the goods and the silver.
However, the Black Mountain Bandits had their code and did not act completely without restraint.
"Leave the silver, leave the cargo—and Eldest Miss Zhou, you stay as well!"
Suddenly, a burly man among the bandits spoke.
A long scar ran across his face, giving him a gruesome, terrifying look.
This was the Second Chief of the Black Mountain Bandits.
He was notoriously lecherous.
Seeing Eldest Miss Zhou's slender, graceful figure, his lust was stoked, and he demanded her outright.
"What?!"
"Impossible! Our Eldest Miss must return to manage the Zhou family's business!"
"Let's just fight them to the death!"
All at once, many guards in the caravan drew their gleaming sabers.
"Hahaha! A bunch of worthless rabble dare draw blades against me?"
The Second Chief burst into boisterous laughter toward the sky.
Then, he abruptly unsheathed his saber.
Buzz!
In an instant, the sabers in the hands of the Zhou family guards began to vibrate violently. Before long, they tore free from the guards' grips, flying straight into the air and circling around the Second Chief.
The Second Chief took a step forward.
He actually walked through midair, pacing across empty space step by step until he stood before Eldest Miss Zhou.
Fixing his gaze upon her, he said coldly, "Unveil yourself."
Eldest Miss Zhou shuddered. Looking back at her people, she was ultimately compelled to lift her veil, revealing a breathtakingly beautiful face.
The Second Chief's eyes flashed with delight.
He nodded in satisfaction. "Very good. Miss Zhou, either you stay behind and return to the stronghold with me, or I slaughter every single one of your men and drag you back anyway."
"Two choices. Decide for yourself."
He claimed to offer two choices, but in truth, there was only one.
Whichever path she picked, he would possess her.
Eldest Miss Zhou knew full well that once she was taken by the Black Mountain Bandits, the Zhou family would be completely ruined.
Yet if she refused, everyone in the caravan would die right now.
She had no choice!
"Second Chief, let them go. I will go up the mountain with you," Eldest Miss Zhou said, gritting her teeth and forcing out each word.
She had made her choice.
In fact, she had already resolved that once the caravan was safely away, the moment she arrived at the mountain stronghold would be the moment she took her own life!
"Miss, you must not! At worst, we'll fight to the death with them!"
"Yes! We are guards of the Zhou family. If we cannot even protect our young mistress, what kind of guards are we?"
"The master gave me my life! With Eldest Miss in peril, how could I cower and live on in disgrace?"
A number of loyal guards refused to leave, willing to fight to the bitter end.
However, they represented only a small fraction of the caravan.
Most of the hired martial artists remained dead silent.
Evidently, they preferred to live rather than throw their lives away pointlessly.
After all, the three bandit chiefs were reputedly close to "Ascending Heaven."
Just look at the Second Chief's display moments ago.
In front of him, even keeping hold of their sabers was an impossible luxury. How could they put up a fight?
Striking back would simply be throwing their lives away in vain.
"Could you tell me what Ascending Heaven is?"
Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice drifted from afar into everyone's ears.
The crowd looked around, yet saw nothing nearby.
"Wait... in the sky..."
Everyone raised their heads and witnessed a scene they would never forget.
High in the distant air, a figure seemed to tread upon nothingness.
With a single casual stride, he appeared right before the crowd, looking down at them from above.
A mere wisp of aura emanating from him was enough to make everyone tremble from the very depths of their souls.
"As... Ascending Heaven Realm!"
The Second Chief in particular stared at the figure in midair with utter horror, his voice shaking.
The Ascending Heaven Realm!
This was unquestionably an Ascending Heaven powerhouse!
Though rumors claimed the three chiefs of the Black Mountain Bandits were close to Ascending Heaven, being close to it and truly ascending were worlds apart.
They knew very well in their own hearts that boasting about being "close to Ascending Heaven" was merely vanity to puff up their reputation.
The three brothers could never ascend to heaven in their entire lifetimes.
Yet this mysterious stranger before them—
That terrifying momentum.
That tranquil poise.
It struck cold dread straight into his heart.
Without a doubt, this was a genuine Ascending Heaven powerhouse!
"Senior, please save our lives!"
Right at that moment, Eldest Miss Zhou acted with immense boldness.
She fell directly to her knees and, though her voice trembled, gritted her teeth and pleaded for help from the figure in the sky.
"Hm?"
Instantly, the gaze of the terrifying figure in the air landed squarely upon her.
Chapter 299