Martial Ancestor Jidao sped across the Boundary Sea with Lu Changsheng in tow.
Having grown familiar with the Boundary Sea, Lu Changsheng found little novelty in the surroundings.
Here, even those in the Ancestor Realm could rely only on their own legs to cover ground.
Moreover, the journey this time was extraordinarily long.
They traveled uninterrupted for three full years.
This showed just how remote the Kunwu World was from the Immortal Martial Palace.
Yet after three years, Lu Changsheng finally caught sight of the Kunwu World.
"Is that the Kunwu World?" Lu Changsheng asked.
Martial Ancestor Jidao had already ground to a halt.
Far in the distance ahead of them hung a colossal mass of clouds.
Lu Changsheng had never seen such an immense cloud bank before.
In truth, that mass of clouds was the Kunwu World itself.
Each cloud cluster represented a world.
The larger the cloud cluster, the vaster the world.
Lu Changsheng had seen the Immortal Martial World.
He had also seen many other worlds within the Boundary Sea.
Yet not a single world possessed a cloud cluster as gigantic as that of the Kunwu World.
One could readily imagine its boundless scale.
"Halt, travelers."
A voice suddenly resonated in the ears of Lu Changsheng and Martial Ancestor Jidao.
Lu Changsheng's eyes narrowed slightly.
A burly figure covered in azure scales, resembling a giant crocodile, stood in their path.
Most importantly, though the creature's aura was completely different from that of a martial artist, it was not in the slightest inferior to Martial Ancestor Jidao's.
Evidently, this was an alien powerhouse of the Ancestor Realm!
"I am Martial Ancestor Jidao of the Immortal Martial Palace!" Martial Ancestor Jidao declared coldly.
With a flick of his wrist, he produced a medallion.
This medallion had been secured by the Immortal Martial Palace at an enormous price.
Without it, no one could dream of setting foot in the Kunwu World.
As for forcing an entry?
That was utterly impossible.
The apex Ancestors among the alien races had jointly blockaded the Kunwu World.
Anyone who attempted to trespass without a medallion faced summary execution.
Even mighty Ancestors dared not force their way in.
"One medallion grants entry to a single Limit Realm being," the azure-scaled alien Ancestor stated in a stiff, indifferent tone, offering Martial Ancestor Jidao no face whatsoever.
Martial Ancestor Jidao drew a deep breath and turned to instruct Lu Changsheng: "The Kunwu World lies just ahead. With this medallion in hand, you may enter.
"Remember, your primary objective is to survive within the Kunwu World; only after that should you seek opportunities.
"If you obtain a fortuitous encounter, leave the Kunwu World immediately.
"There is only one way to depart: advance to Martial Dao Sovereign—what is known across the Boundary Sea as the Sovereign Realm.
"Once you become a Martial Dao Sovereign, the Kunwu World will automatically expel you.
"However, once you achieve that breakthrough, you will forfeit any chance of ever entering the Kunwu World again. Therefore, unless forced by absolute necessity, try not to break through to Martial Dao Sovereign prematurely, or you will lose your chance forever."
Martial Ancestor Jidao had laid it out with total clarity.
There was only one opportunity!
Unless Lu Changsheng confronted a mortal crisis that could only be resolved by fleeing the Kunwu World,
or unless he secured a major opportunity,
only then should he advance to Martial Dao Sovereign and take his leave.
Otherwise, all the painstaking preparations made by the Immortal Martial Palace would go down the drain.
Lu Changsheng naturally understood his master's meaning. He replied solemnly, "Ancestor, rest assured. I will weigh the pros and cons carefully."
"Good. Then go."
Without hesitation, Lu Changsheng transformed into a streak of light, rocketing straight toward the Kunwu World.
This time, the alien Ancestor made no move to obstruct him,
simply watching him fly toward the world.
As Lu Changsheng drew nearer,
he noticed other alien beings approaching as well. Most possessed humanoid shapes, but some had strange, bizarre forms.
All of them held medallions, soaring toward the Kunwu World.
Lu Changsheng's gaze sharpened.
He could sense formidable auras radiating from these figures.
Though all were at the Heavenly Saint level, none were inferior to him.
Evidently, these were likely to be his competitors within the Kunwu World, each drawn there in pursuit of great opportunities.
'The Immortal Martial Palace spent countless years and paid who knows what staggering price just to secure this single medallion.
'Three Martial Ancestors and eight Mahayana elders fought tooth and nail for just one token.
'Given how precious it is, the palace probably won't obtain another for a very long time. In the Kunwu World, I must exercise the utmost caution and strive to claim an opportunity...'
Though Martial Ancestor Jidao had not spelled out every detail, Lu Changsheng knew well the token's worth.
The Immortal Martial Palace was not the paramount power of the Boundary Sea.
It was merely one among tens of thousands of factions,
relatively ordinary on the grand scale.
Securing this medallion had required the Martial Ancestors and Mahayana elders to risk their lives,
all so that someone from the Immortal Martial Palace would have a shot at entering the Kunwu World.
This hard-won opportunity was not something Lu Changsheng would squander.
*Whoosh.*
The next instant, Lu Changsheng crossed the threshold into the Kunwu World.
***
"On the night of the full moon, the Golden Toad spits its pearl!"
Lu Changsheng strolled through the streets of Feng City.
He had arrived in the Kunwu World more than half a month ago.
Upon entering, he had been whisked away by a twist of mysterious forces and deposited in Feng City.
Over the past two weeks, he had gathered information and gained a general grasp of the Kunwu World.
The Kunwu World was astonishingly vast.
It stretched endlessly, housing countless kingdoms and empires.
Feng City was situated deep in the heartland of the Great Qian Divine Dynasty.
A "divine dynasty" was defined by its possession of a divine item.
In the Kunwu World, divine items were the most prevalent source of power.
Each divine item possessed bizarre and wondrous effects.
The Great Qian Divine Dynasty possessed a national divine item.
Any national divine item was terrifying beyond measure. Once unleashed, it could even slay a Martial Dao Sovereign.
Consequently, though powerhouses from myriad races across the Boundary Sea had continuously entered over time, the Kunwu World maintained an overall sense of order, with local indigenous forces remaining supreme.
The reason lay entirely in these divine items,
which deterred the Boundary Sea's experts from acting recklessly or causing chaos.
There had once been a time when experts from the myriad races joined hands, amassing strength that even a Martial Dao Sovereign could not match.
Yet when the divine dynasty deployed its national divine item, it obliterated them down to the last soul.
From then on, the foreign powerhouses learned to behave and dared not run amok.
Nevertheless, a steady stream of foreign experts continued to arrive,
gradually exerting pressure on the existing order of the Kunwu World.
As for the world's great opportunities, they were none other than these divine items!
Rumors frequently circulated throughout the Kunwu World—
mythological tales,
or various peculiar anecdotes.
Behind these stories often lay the manifestation of a divine item.
When one surfaced, people would do everything in their power to seize it.
Divine items were coveted not only by Boundary Sea experts, but also by local courts and prominent factions.
Thus, whenever a divine item appeared, all manner of factions and mighty figures would contest for it.
Lu Changsheng had kept a low profile in Feng City for more than half a month,
repeatedly hearing the tale: "On the night of the full moon, the Golden Toad spits its pearl."
He had a faint hunch
that a divine item might be involved in this legend.
However, whether the divine item was the Golden Toad itself or the pearl it spewed remained unknown.
Furthermore, this rumor had already circulated for over a year,
yet no one had managed to find the item.
Tonight happened to be the night of the full moon.
Lu Changsheng planned to go take a look.
He wondered how many experts would show their hands tonight.
At any rate, Lu Changsheng could faintly sense quite a few concealed masters lurking within Feng City.
Not to mention the imperial court.
Claiming the divine item would be far from simple;
in fact, it promised to be exceptionally tricky.
"Shopkeeper, how much for this wood carving?"
As Lu Changsheng stood lost in thought, a crisp voice rang out.
He looked up to see a pretty young woman dressed as an itinerant martial artist, holding a wooden carving of a snow lotus.
Lu Changsheng had chosen to hide in plain sight.
Upon arriving in Feng City, he had opened a small woodcarving shop and carved figurines at his leisure.
He did not care about earning money; it was merely a cover to blend in
and avoid drawing the attention of the authorities.
Business had always been left to chance.
He had not expected a customer to come calling today.
"Ten taels of silver. No haggling," Lu Changsheng quoted a steep price off the top of his head, hoping to scare off the young woman.
Tonight was the full moon, after all.
He was preparing to contest for the divine item.
How could he be in the mood to sell carvings?
"So expensive?" The woman hesitated.
Ten taels of silver for a mere wood carving?
Yet she genuinely seemed to love the piece.
In particular, she felt as though she could perceive a unique spiritual charm within it, as if the carving were alive.
In her eyes, the wooden snow lotus was no dead object, but a living, breathing bloom.
Gritting her teeth, the woman produced ten taels of silver.
"I'll take it!" She handed the silver to Lu Changsheng.
"You're really buying it?"
Lu Changsheng was somewhat surprised.
He had thrown out an inflated price to chase her away, never expecting her to actually pay.
Only then did Lu Changsheng properly inspect her.
She was merely an ordinary martial artist of the mortal realm.
The native inhabitants of the Kunwu World were largely mortals.
They could not cultivate any techniques from the Boundary Sea
and knew only crude, rudimentary martial arts.
Their lifespans spanned a fleeting few decades;
living past a hundred was considered a historical feat.
Yet they were naturally capable of wielding formidable divine items, possessing the power to slay even Sovereign Realm beings.
It seemed profoundly bizarre, but such were the rules of the Kunwu World.
Thus, the so-called martial artists here were simply people who knew basic forms, had trained their physical strength from childhood, and had picked up some fighting techniques.
Unless, of course, they managed to master a divine item.
Once they gained command over one, they would leap to the ranks of apex powerhouses,
equal to the mighty beings of the Boundary Sea—a true meteoric ascent.
Such was the miraculous nature of divine items.
Though the woman was an ordinary martial artist, Lu Changsheng vaguely caught an unusual aura about her.
It was extraordinarily faint.
Had he not examined her with scrutiny, he would never have detected it.
It was as though something unseen was converging upon her person.
'Fortune?' Lu Changsheng thought.
Certain natives of the Kunwu World were blessed with destiny and fortune.
Once imbued with great fortune, it became far easier for them to encounter divine items and seize their moment to soar to greatness.
Lu Changsheng had not anticipated encountering a bearer of fortune in Feng City.
Of course, there were many such bearers of fortune.
Each divine item usually had corresponding candidates favored by fortune.
Yet only one person could ultimately claim the prize.
It all depended on whose destiny was stronger.
Especially now, with the intervention of Boundary Sea experts,
many bearers of fortune were deprived of their divine items.
With a thought, Lu Changsheng subtly attached a droplet of his flesh and blood into the wood carving before handing it over.
If the woman truly was a bearer of fortune, there was a high likelihood she would cross paths with the divine item.
When that happened, Lu Changsheng would be able to sense her location through his avatar and rush over to claim the treasure.
Naturally, this was merely an auxiliary move.
The real deciding factor would be his clash with the other Boundary Sea experts tonight.
"By the way, Shopkeeper, have you heard the tale about the Golden Toad spitting its pearl on the night of the full moon?" the woman asked.
"I've heard it, but it's just a rumor. It has circulated for over a year, and no one has ever caught a glimpse of this Golden Toad. It's most likely groundless nonsense," Lu Changsheng said with a shake of his head.
The woman offered no comment,
simply turning and taking her leave.
Lu Changsheng's eyes narrowed slightly.
Even the local mortal martial artists of the Kunwu World were chasing this rumor.
One could well imagine how many experts would appear tonight.
"When dragons and tigers gather, this Lu will see what the apex Limit Realm figures of the myriad races are truly made of," Lu Changsheng murmured.
Setting the matter aside, he calmly resumed carving.
Time passed swiftly, and night soon fell.
In the sweltering heat of summer, the evening air was stifling.
Many townspeople strolled by the river to catch the cool breeze.
Thanks to the Great Qian Divine Dynasty's national divine item, the region maintained an overall peace with little disorder.
Yet tonight was destined to be far from tranquil.
A crowd lingered near the riverbanks.
In the water, the full moon was reflected with crystal clarity.
Ripples spread across the surface in quiet rings.
All was still, devoid of anything out of the ordinary.
*Croak, croak, croak.*
Suddenly, the deep croaking of a toad echoed through the air.
*Whoosh!*
Dark silhouettes darted out from all directions.
"The croak of a toad!"
"It's the night of the full moon! Where is the Golden Toad?"
"The sound came from nearby—search for it!"
These black-clad figures appeared to belong to the same faction, methodically and purposefully combing the riverbanks.
Seeing these figures, the strolling townspeople sensed immediate danger.
These martial artists pulled this stunt every full moon.
A single misstep could lead to violence and bloodshed.
Consequently, the common folk hurriedly cleared out.
Within moments, the riverbank thinned out,
and the area grew silent.
The black-clad men appeared to be local martial artists.
Yet despite searching everywhere, they could only hear the croaks without finding their source.
"The sound is close, but there's nothing on land."
"It must be in the river!"
"Into the water!"
The martial artists were well-drilled; several plunged straight into the river.
*Splash!*
They dove beneath the surface.
Moonlight shimmered over the rippling water.
Though only a single faction of mortal martial artists was visible, Lu Changsheng was already concealed in the shadows, keeping a close eye on them with his awareness.
In fact, Lu Changsheng could sense that many others were hidden just like him.
'One, two, three, four, five...'
'Quite a crowd has gathered. All of them are Limit Realm experts from the Boundary Sea; no matter how well they conceal themselves, they cannot completely hide their traces,' Lu Changsheng muttered to himself.
Yet these Boundary Sea experts were exceptionally patient.
Without seeing the divine item, they would not make a move.
'Hm?'
'She came as well?'
Lu Changsheng suddenly sensed the woman who had bought the wood carving earlier that day.
She had also made her way to the riverbank,
hiding in a secluded corner.
She believed herself well-hidden, but in truth?
In the eyes of the numerous Limit Realm masters, her location was completely exposed.
'Wait, the fortune around her is intensifying.'
'It's growing stronger by the second!'
Lu Changsheng witnessed a curious sight.
The woman was merely hiding quietly in the corner, yet the fortune enveloping her surged with mounting intensity.
This was abnormal.
Yet in the Kunwu World, the more abnormal the situation, the closer the divine item was to appearing.
*Croak, croak, croak.*
The croaking grew louder and more resonant,
echoing through the open air.
At the same time, the full moon in the heavens seemed to reach its brightest brilliance.
*Crash!*
A pale-golden toad leapt straight out of the river.
It was enormous, roughly the size of a millstone.
Its sudden leap from the water presented a striking spectacle.
"Such a massive Golden Toad!"
"The legend is real! The divine item—the divine item must be here!"
"Could the Golden Toad itself be the divine item?"
"The legend speaks of the toad spitting a pearl, but where is the jewel?"
The martial artists stared at the millstone-sized toad, their eyes burning with fanaticism.
A divine item!
According to the legends of the martial world, obtaining a divine item granted an instant ascent to the pinnacle of power.
Who wouldn't want one?
"Bring the nets!"
Having prepared in advance, the martial artists hurled out heavy fishing nets,
flinging them directly over the Golden Toad.
Yet the toad opened its maw.
*Whoosh!*
A torrent of water surged forth,
sweeping the martial artists away in an instant.
"Argh!"
"Help!"
"What kind of water is this? My flesh is rotting away...!"
The martial artists shrieked in agony.
The liquid expelled by the toad was clearly no ordinary water;
it corroded flesh and bone on contact.
A divine item was wondrous, but claiming one was never easy.
This Golden Toad was plainly not something simple to subdue.
"Humph."
"A pack of useless trash."
"After waiting for so long, this divine item belongs to me!"
A cold snort rang out through the air.
Immediately afterward, a black-robed figure materialized out of nowhere,
dressed identically to the martial artists below.
"Venerable One! It's the Venerable One!"
"Save us, Venerable One...!"
"Venerable One..."
These martial artists were evidently the subordinates of this black-robed figure.
Seeing him appear, they were overjoyed and pleaded for mercy.
Yet the black-robed man remained completely unmoved. Stepping across the empty air, he reached the Golden Toad in an instant and swept out a massive hand.
This palm seemed to overturn the heavens and earth.
The Golden Toad croaked in alarm,
yet could not break free from the palm's crushing restraint.
*Rumble!*
Enraged, the toad summoned a colossal wave from the river.
The surging waters responded to its command, crashing violently toward the black-robed figure.
"You dare bare your fangs before me?"
The black-robed man flicked his finger.
*Whish!*
A blast of frigid qi erupted from his hand,
instantly freezing the towering wave in midair.
*Crack, crack, crack!*
The wave solidified into jagged chunks of ice.
Not only the wave, but the river below froze as well.
The entire river was sealed in ice in the blink of an eye.
It was a breathtaking sight.
Though not a frozen expanse of a thousand li, this was the height of summer.
To freeze an entire broad river solid in an instant—what terrifying might was this?
Even a divine item could hardly boast greater power.
"What is that?"
"How did the entire river freeze over?"
"It's midsummer, not winter! To freeze an entire river solid... what kind of godly power is this?"
Many spectators looked on in sheer disbelief.
Unable to withstand the terrible chill,
the Golden Toad was directly frozen into an ice sculpture.
A smirk formed on the black-robed man's face as he reached out to seize the frozen toad.
*Boom!*
Suddenly, as if the sky were collapsing and the earth splitting,
a terrifying entity resembling a flood dragon spanned the void.
Extending a massive claw, it swiped viciously toward the black-robed man.
"The divine item is mine!"
"Whoever dares contest it will be devoured!"
The colossal flood dragon exuded a dreadful aura—
the unmistakable aura of an apex Limit Realm expert.
"Get lost!"
The black-robed man refused to back down.
The two clashed violently in midair.
"Argh!"
Yet in that single exchange, the black-robed man suffered a catastrophic defeat.
His body exploded on impact.
He had been shattered in a single blow.
Though his regenerative abilities were astounding,
the flood dragon was even more ferocious. Without missing a beat, it opened its maw and inhaled deeply,
swallowing the black-robed man whole.
Silence fell.
The riverbank turned dead quiet,
so silent a dropped needle would have sounded like thunder.
Everyone present, both in the open and in hiding, stared in stunned disbelief.
The flood dragon was terrifyingly fierce,
devouring an expert of the Limit Realm in a single bite.
A Limit Realm powerhouse had perished just like that.
People had always said the Kunwu World was fraught with peril, a battleground where myriad races vied for supremacy.
Now they saw the grim truth of it.
Those naturally gifted races possessed horrifying strength.
However, during the brief clash between the dragon and the man, the Golden Toad somehow managed to shatter its icy prison.
Opening its mouth wide, it spat out a luminous pearl.
The pearl radiated a soft, mesmerizing glow.
In that instant, every person present could sense the terrifying power contained within it.
A divine item!
This was the true divine item!
The divine item had finally emerged!
"Hahaha! The divine item has appeared—this opportunity belongs to me!"
"Fiery Demon Flood Dragon, we have you to thank for forcing the toad to spit the divine item. But there's nothing left for you here—scram!"
"Whoever dares lay a finger on the divine item, I will hunt you to the ends of the earth!"
With the item's appearance,
the hidden apex experts burst forth from the shadows.
Some possessed bodies ten thousand zhang tall,
some wielded an array of formidable treasures,
and others possessed feral, peerless savagery.
Every single one of them was a Limit Realm powerhouse, many at the very peak of the realm.
All attacked simultaneously.
Sensing mortal danger, the Golden Toad let out a mournful wail.
Its body swelled more than tenfold,
and it exhaled forcefully.
*Whoosh...*
The pearl shot into the distance like an arrow,
streaking straight toward where the young woman was hiding!
"What?"
The woman froze,
her eyes widening in astonishment.
She had never imagined that the divine item would fly straight toward her,
landing right before her feet.
It was a large, lustrous pearl,
with liquid seeming to swirl within, dazzling and wondrous.
At the same moment, the combined attacks of the Limit Realm experts slammed into the swollen toad.
*Bang!*
The magnificent Golden Toad was blasted to pieces, disintegrating into a massive cloud of blood mist that drifted in all directions.
The Golden Toad was dead,
blown apart on the spot.
Yet the Limit Realm experts flew into a fury.
The pearl had flown away,
landing directly in front of an indigenous mortal woman!
"The pearl is mine!"
"Kill!"
"Whoever touches the pearl dies!"
The swarm of apex Limit Realm experts shifted their momentum and hurtled toward the woman.
The woman was paralyzed with fear.
She had indeed hoped to gain a divine item,
but she had only come to watch the commotion.
How could she have ever witnessed such a scene?
Normally, she could only handle three or four burly men at best—
and ordinary mortals at that.
Before these terrifying beings, she was less than an ant.
She could not even muster the thought of resistance.
At this moment, she lacked the courage even to pick up the divine item.
Only a single thought occupied her mind:
She was dead!
Lu Changsheng had been watching all along.
Even when the Golden Toad first spat the pearl, he had not rushed out.
He had waited,
primarily wanting to see which Limit Realm experts were contending for the treasure.
Now, he had seen them all.
This group of Limit Realm experts unleashed a presence that shook the heavens and earth.
Yet while they were undeniably strong,
none of them gave Lu Changsheng a sense of suffocation.
In other words, none felt insurmountable.
Furthermore, the divine item had landed right before the woman.
And who was closest to her?
Not the Limit Realm experts who had shown themselves first, but Lu Changsheng.
More precisely, a trace of his flesh and blood.
*Buzz.*
The trace of flesh and blood embedded in the wood carving flew out,
swiftly coalescing into Lu Changsheng's form.
He reached out and snatched the pearl,
securing it in his grasp.
"What? Who snatched the divine item?"
"How did he get there?"
"Someone else was hiding?"
Several apex Limit Realm experts froze, their eyes wide in disbelief.
Someone had beaten them to the prize?
Yet so what if he had grabbed it?
With their sharp perception, they could instantly tell that this was merely an avatar.
A mere avatar could easily be obliterated!
At this moment, not only was the woman in mortal peril, but Lu Changsheng's avatar was in danger as well.
The woman also snapped back to reality.
When she recognized the avatar's appearance, she gasped.
"It's you..."
She recognized him:
the shopkeeper from the woodcarving shop.
He, too, was a "godly being."
Indeed, the mortals of the Kunwu World referred to those from the Boundary Sea who could fly, burrow, and shatter heaven and earth as godly beings.
Likewise, those who wielded curiosities and divine items were called godly beings.
In short, anyone possessing power beyond mortal comprehension was regarded as such.
Yet what if the woodcarver was a godly being?
Facing so many other godly beings
and such terrifying might,
even he would surely be unable to escape death.
"Young lady, I owe you my thanks this time,"
"Without you, I could never have obtained this divine item so smoothly,"
"As for these people..."
"I have long wished to see what the apex figures among the myriad races are truly made of."
Lu Changsheng's avatar smiled faintly at the woman, entirely unperturbed.
Just as she opened her mouth to speak—
*Boom!*
The void shuddered violently.
Immediately after, an immense weight settled over everyone's heart,
bringing an overwhelming sense of dread, suffocation, and helplessness.
Everyone reflexively raised their heads toward the heavens,
even the citizens within Feng City.
What did they see in the sky?
A colossal figure, standing ten thousand zhang tall, spanned the heavens.
He bestrode the void,
exuding a terrifying aura.
At the same time, ten thousand martial daos orbited above the giant's head, coalescing into an immense golden cloud bank.
It appeared incomparably sacred and terrifying.
His aura in particular
pressed down upon heaven and earth, compelling everyone to fall to their knees in instinctive, soul-deep dread.
Chapter 319