The Imperial Library.
Holding Empress Tianzhao's medallion, Lu Changsheng entered the library without any hindrance.
Yet inside the library, faint, watchful gazes lingered on him constantly.
Clearly, experts guarded the place.
Lu Changsheng paid them no mind, browsing through the various books one by one.
It had to be said that the imperial family truly possessed deep foundations. The library housed many unique copies and rare volumes.
Lu Changsheng read through them.
Many of the books were speculations regarding the refinement of divine items—such as various methods attempting to make it easier to refine divine items and forge the foundation of a divine body or spirit body. Others contained conjectures about various spirit bodies and divine bodies, such as whether the Five Elements Spirit Bodies could be merged into one, among other theories.
Some of these hypotheses were indeed quite profound.
Perhaps they could genuinely be useful.
Of course, Lu Changsheng had no need for them. He could fuse his avatars together, merging all kinds of spirit bodies and divine bodies into a single entity, thereby unleashing unimaginable power. That was ten thousand times better than the speculations in these books!
What Lu Changsheng needed were clues regarding immortal bodies.
Especially the Mortal Immortal!
In Lu Changsheng's possession right now were fragments of a Mortal Immortal's tombstone. He had only two pieces; seven more were needed to assemble a complete tombstone. Furthermore, Lu Changsheng needed all manner of conjectures and clues regarding immortal bodies. And, of course, the Road to Ascending Heaven.
In short, he examined everything related to the Road to Ascending Heaven, immortal bodies, and similar matters.
Lu Changsheng searched thoroughly, checking even casual miscellanies and anecdotal records.
Finally, in a book recording mythological anomalies, he saw the words "Mortal Immortal."
The book recounted how a rural scholar met a mysterious master who taught him several arts. Later, he obtained a divine item, forged a divine body foundation, and became a powerhouse of his generation whose fame spread across the entire Kunwu World.
Later still, that powerhouse encountered the mysterious expert once again.
The mysterious expert said, "I am searching for the Road to Ascending Heaven, intending to ascend to the Heaven Realm. Even if I cannot ascend to the Heaven Realm, one may still achieve the Mortal Immortal realm along the Road to Ascending Heaven."
After that, the mysterious expert vanished.
Naturally, this was a collection of bizarre tales, a work of popular fiction. Yet this record shook Lu Changsheng's spirit.
He had a faint intuition that the mysterious person in the book was likely a supreme powerhouse pursuing the Mortal Immortal realm.
Only, Lu Changsheng had no way of knowing how strong that person had been. Perhaps a peak Ancestor Realm cultivator? Or even beyond the Ancestor Realm?
Yet did the Kunwu World not repel powerhouses above the Martial Dao Sovereign level? The Ancestor Realm would certainly be repelled in the Kunwu World as well. How had that mysterious expert pursued the Mortal Immortal realm within the Kunwu World? It did not make sense.
"Wait. The Road to Ascending Heaven—perhaps that is the key."
"So many Ancestor Realm experts search for the Road to Ascending Heaven. First, to travel to the Heaven Realm through it, though it is said the Heaven Realm has been severed from the Boundary Sea, making entry impossible."
"Second, there is likely something within the Road to Ascending Heaven that allows Ancestor Realm experts to take another step forward—or even achieve immortality in the mortal dust!"
A glimmer of sharp light flickered in Lu Changsheng's eyes.
His comprehension was extraordinary now. From a few tiny clues, he deduced an immense amount of information. While he could not guarantee it was entirely correct, it was well-reasoned and grounded in logic; with a few more clues, he would have a clear picture.
Clues about "Mortal Immortals" were difficult to find, but there were numerous records regarding the Road to Ascending Heaven, or the celestial roads in general.
For example, one record stated that five hundred li east of the Divine Capital stood Mount Tongtian. It was said that a Road to Ascending Heaven was hidden atop Mount Tongtian, and that mortals who entered it could reach the Heaven Realm.
"Five hundred li east of the Divine Capital? That doesn't seem far."
"Mount Tongtian? The name sounds familiar. Mountains named 'Tongtian' are everywhere—there must be at least eighty or a hundred of them, far too many."
"Even though it's a legend, what if there's a clue?"
Lu Changsheng considered it. Five hundred li was not a great distance anyway.
With a thought, a mass of flesh quietly slipped out of the library and left the Imperial Palace. Transforming into the likeness of a stranger, it swiftly departed the Divine Capital and flew toward Mount Tongtian, five hundred li to the east.
While operating his flesh avatar, Lu Changsheng continued searching for clues in the Imperial Library.
One day, two days, three days...
Lu Changsheng remained in the Imperial Library for many days.
His flesh avatar arrived at the area five hundred li east of the Divine Capital. However, it found no Mount Tongtian. Only after asking some elders did it learn that Mount Tongtian had been renamed long ago. Furthermore, several centuries earlier, an earthquake had caused Mount Tongtian to collapse, turning it into a vast mountain range.
Even after learning that Mount Tongtian had collapsed into a mountain range, Lu Changsheng did not give up hope. He sent the avatar to search that range.
The result, naturally, was nothing. He came away empty-handed. Let alone a Road to Ascending Heaven, there was not even a trace of a divine item's aura, nor any clues regarding a celestial road.
Afterward, as it was inconvenient for the flesh avatar to return to the Imperial Palace, it lodged at an inn outside the palace. Once Lu Changsheng left the palace, the flesh avatar could re-merge into his body.
"It seems mythological legends are just legends after all; they cannot be taken at face value." Lu Changsheng shook his head. If one could find the Road to Ascending Heaven just by picking up any book of legends, that would have been abnormal.
Even so, Lu Changsheng did not give up during this time. Whenever there was a clue with a confirmed place name and location, he dispatched an avatar to investigate. Although the gains were meager, it was not completely fruitless. Divine items had once appeared in certain locations. But clues regarding the Road to Ascending Heaven and immortal bodies remained elusive.
"Hm?"
"A severed celestial road in the Linyin Mountain Range?"
Lu Changsheng spotted another piece of information.
He had never heard of the Linyin Mountain Range. However, a severed mountain range or celestial road was unlikely to be a fabrication, as this particular volume recorded historical facts. Lu Changsheng searched carefully and found that more than one book mentioned the "Linyin Mountain Range" and the "severed celestial road." This appeared to be relatively common knowledge.
This lifted Lu Changsheng's spirits. Finally, a clue about the Road to Ascending Heaven.
Of course, that was all for now.
He had already spent a month in the library and had read almost every book within it. Consequently, Lu Changsheng lingered no longer, rising and leaving the library.
With a sweep of his consciousness, Lu Changsheng walked toward Empress Tianzhao's study.
Empress Tianzhao's original promise had not been limited to the library. There were also divine items! Lu Changsheng had no intention of missing out on the divine items accumulated by the imperial family.
When Lu Changsheng entered the study, several ministers were in the middle of reporting to the sovereign. Empress Tianzhao glanced at Lu Changsheng, then waved her hand to dismiss the ministers.
"Mister Lu, you have finally emerged from the library. Have you gained anything over this past month?" Empress Tianzhao asked.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I have gained quite a bit," Lu Changsheng replied.
Then, their gazes met, and the entire study fell silent.
Empress Tianzhao naturally understood what Lu Changsheng meant.
"Someone, bring the things We have prepared."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Soon, several eunuchs respectfully carried wooden boxes into the study, after which they bowed and withdrew.
Empress Tianzhao smiled faintly and said, "Mister Lu, We naturally have not forgotten Our original promise. These are the divine items We prepared for you, all of them at the divine body level. Please do not hesitate to accept them, Mister Lu."
Clearly, Empress Tianzhao knew what her initial promise had been, which was why she had prepared these.
"Divine items?"
Lu Changsheng stepped forward and opened the boxes one by one.
Sure enough, inside were divine items, all at the divine body level, each emanating a terrifying aura. One, two, three, four, five! A full eight divine-body-level divine items were placed before Lu Changsheng. Anyone who saw this would be shaken. Only the imperial family could produce eight divine-body-level divine items all at once.
Yet Lu Changsheng merely swept his eyes over these divine items, closed the boxes one after another, and gathered them together. Then he raised his head, looked at Empress Tianzhao, and spoke calmly, word by word, "Your Majesty, eight divine-body-level divine items are indeed a grand gesture. However, this does not match Your Majesty's original promise. These divine items are not enough!"
Lu Changsheng's words caused the entire room to fall instantly silent. Even the smile on Empress Tianzhao's face froze.
"Not... not enough?"
"Mister Lu, these are eight divine-body-level divine items! In the entire Great Qian Divine Dynasty, only the imperial family could produce so many divine-body-level divine items at once. This already represents the imperial family's utmost sincerity. Mister Lu, you should know when to be content!"
Empress Tianzhao's expression gradually turned cold. To her, eight divine-body-level divine items were more than sufficient to fulfill her "promise."
Lu Changsheng lifted his gaze to Empress Tianzhao, his eyes placid.
"Your Majesty, have you forgotten what you promised back then? Once I helped Your Majesty succeed in the struggle for the throne and Your Majesty ascended to the supreme seat, the Imperial Treasury would be open for me to take whatever I wished. If Your Majesty truly has sincerity, you may permit me to visit the Imperial Treasury. If there truly are only these eight divine items, I shall naturally be satisfied. How about it?"
Lu Changsheng's words made Empress Tianzhao's face darken further.
Allow Lu Changsheng into the Imperial Treasury? Impossible, absolutely impossible! Regardless of how much trust she had placed in him or what guarantees she had made, outsiders could never be permitted into the Imperial Treasury. After all, that was the imperial family's foundation. Only the monarch and paramount figures of the imperial household could enter.
Lu Changsheng was an outsider. Worse, he was an otherworldly godly being. How could Empress Tianzhao let him set foot inside the Imperial Treasury?
Moreover, Empress Tianzhao knew very well that the Imperial Treasury held far more than eight divine-body-level divine items. There were divine items... so many that even Empress Tianzhao had been shocked by the count. But that was the accumulation of countless years and generations of monarchs. How could it be ruined in her hands?
Thus, Empress Tianzhao had intended to brush Lu Changsheng off with eight divine items, even considering herself exceedingly generous. But Lu Changsheng had refused. A mere eight divine-body-level divine items were nowhere near enough to honor the promise.
"Mister Lu, know your limits!" Empress Tianzhao's tone turned severe, carrying a faint edge of warning.
"Your Majesty, I wonder if this counts as burning bridges after crossing the river? If Your Majesty burns bridges, then do not blame me!"
Step by step, Lu Changsheng walked toward Empress Tianzhao.
Empress Tianzhao's heart leaped in fright. Only now did she seem to wake up to reality. She was far too close to Lu Changsheng. At such a distance, killing her would be as easy as turning his hand.
Yet how would Lu Changsheng dare? This was the Imperial Palace! While Lu Changsheng's strength was formidable, the national divine item resided within the palace. If he killed her, the Imperial Elders Council would certainly deploy the national divine item. Lu Changsheng would be doomed! Under these circumstances, unless one was mad, who would choose mutually assured destruction?
Lu Changsheng smiled, but offered no explanation.
He had come to the Kunwu World in search of fortune. If this were his true body, he certainly would not take such a risk. But this was merely an avatar. Although avatars were precious and he had forty-two of them, he would never accept threats from Empress Tianzhao. If she would not fulfill her promise, he would take what was owed himself!
Besides, if he killed Empress Tianzhao and truly wanted to flee, was there really no chance of escape? That was not necessarily so. Lu Changsheng had noticed a weakness in the national divine item: it was slow! Activating the national divine item seemed to require a bit of time. In that brief window, Lu Changsheng would have long since fled the Divine Capital.
"Mister Lu, everything can be discussed, do not be so rash... Mister Lu, you cannot do this..."
Empress Tianzhao panicked. Having just ascended the throne, she had tasted the intoxicating flavor of supreme power. Previously, no matter how exalted a person was, they had to bow their heads before her. The extreme swelling of authority had caused her to forget that Lu Changsheng was a supreme powerhouse. If he truly wanted to kill her, it would be effortless. No matter how great her authority, before Lu Changsheng, she was nothing more than an ant lacking even the strength to truss a chicken, easily crushed at any moment. People like Lu Changsheng held not an ounce of awe in their hearts.
With a sudden lunge, Lu Changsheng's large hand caught Empress Tianzhao. He did not kill her, instead saying indifferently, "Your Majesty, you should know the way to the Imperial Treasury, correct?"
"I know, We know."
"Then I must trouble Your Majesty to lead the way."
Lu Changsheng released Empress Tianzhao, yet remained within three paces of her.
Empress Tianzhao's scalp prickled with dread. Daring not make any reckless moves, she obediently left the study and forbade anyone from following, walking straight toward the Imperial Treasury. Along the way, she managed to calm down somewhat. She understood that, held hostage by Lu Changsheng, any underhanded tricks would only bring death. Lu Changsheng was not soft-hearted; once he struck, he would show no mercy. Empress Tianzhao had no desire to become the shortest-lived monarch of the Great Qian Divine Dynasty. Thus, she cooperated completely and guided Lu Changsheng to the Imperial Treasury.
"Your Majesty."
Just then, multiple gazes landed on Lu Changsheng and Empress Tianzhao. Those were imperial elders—the elders guarding the Imperial Treasury! Every one of them was a peak Limit Realm expert capable of contending with otherworldly godly beings. There were at least four of them!
Yet even with four supreme experts present, Empress Tianzhao felt no sense of security. She knew Lu Changsheng's strength all too well. Any number of Limit Realm fighters would merely be throwing their lives away. Only the national divine item could contend with him.
"Does Your Majesty wish to enter the treasury?" an elder inquired, his eyes sweeping across Lu Changsheng as if silently questioning Empress Tianzhao.
Empress Tianzhao maintained an impassive expression, speaking in a calm tone, "Indeed. We need to enter the treasury to select several treasures to reward Mister Lu. What, is that not permitted?"
The four elders exchanged glances, then shook their heads. "Our duty is merely to guard the Imperial Treasury. As for Your Majesty drawing upon the treasures within, we have no authority to interfere. Your Majesty, please!"
With that, the elders opened the Imperial Treasury.
"Mister Lu, enter with Us." Showing not the slightest abnormality, Empress Tianzhao walked into the Imperial Treasury alongside Lu Changsheng.
The moment he entered the Imperial Treasury, Lu Changsheng did not look for divine items right away. Instead, the Mortal Immortal tombstone fragments inside his body began to vibrate violently.
"Hm? Could there be Mortal Immortal tombstone fragments in the Imperial Treasury?"
Lu Changsheng's eyes widened as thought after thought raced through his mind. In fact, it was entirely possible—highly probable, even. After all, the imperial family had accumulated treasures over countless generations. Although a Mortal Immortal tombstone was not a divine item, it was connected to a Mortal Immortal. Fragments of such a tombstone would naturally be regarded as treasures and gathered into the imperial vaults.
With the fragments in his body reacting so intensely, Lu Changsheng followed the resonance, walking step by step toward the depths of the treasury. Of course, he did not forget Empress Tianzhao, keeping her by his side the entire time.
Soon, in a corner, Lu Changsheng spotted an exquisite box. Reaching out, he snatched the wooden box and opened it. Inside lay three Mortal Immortal tombstone fragments.
"Three pieces!"
Lu Changsheng had not expected to find three fragments. Combined with the two pieces he already carried, that made five Mortal Immortal tombstone fragments in total—more than half!
"Excellent! You wear out iron shoes searching high and low, only to find it without any effort at all. To think three fragments were in the Imperial Treasury!"
Delight showed on Lu Changsheng's face. Empress Tianzhao, by contrast, looked at the fragments in confusion. Lu Changsheng's objective had not been divine items, but these fragments? What were they, anyway? They seemed useless and had merely gathered dust in the treasury.
Lu Changsheng had no intention of explaining the tombstone fragments. Now that they were in hand, next came the divine items. Lu Changsheng needed divine items just as much—in large quantities, the more the better.
"Where are the divine items?" Lu Changsheng asked.
"They are all in these chests..." Empress Tianzhao pointed toward several large chests.
Lu Changsheng opened them directly. Instantly, powerful auras of divine items surged skyward, saturating the entire treasury. Fortunately, the Imperial Treasury was constructed from special materials; no matter how terrifying the auras within, not a shred leaked out. Consequently, the outside world remained entirely oblivious to the commotion inside, even with four imperial elders standing guard just outside. The treasury was completely isolated from the exterior.
This worked in Lu Changsheng's favor. At least he did not need to worry about slightly larger disturbances drawing the notice of the elders outside.
"So many divine items..."
Even Lu Changsheng, accustomed to grand spectacles, could not help but be stunned. The chests were filled with divine items of every variety piled high. Among them were many at the divine body level. To see this many divine-body-level divine items in one place was unheard of. This was the true foundation of the imperial family!
"Collect!"
Lu Changsheng showed no restraint, sweeping the divine items away. One, five, ten... It took roughly an hour for Lu Changsheng to loot every single divine item in the Imperial Treasury.
He made a quick count. Adding the eight divine-body-level divine items Empress Tianzhao had given him earlier, he now possessed forty-eight divine-body-level divine items and one hundred eighty-six spirit-body-level divine items.
Seeing Lu Changsheng strip the treasury bare of divine items, no matter how composed Empress Tianzhao tried to remain, she could no longer hold back.
A pungent stench of blood hung in the air, yet it could not escape the treasury. Once the doors opened, however, the bloody scent would inevitably waft outside, and the four imperial elders would immediately detect something amiss.
If Lu Changsheng wished to escape smoothly, he could not afford the slightest delay. Any hesitation would invite mortal danger. Delay brought complications! If the imperial family activated the national divine item, Lu Changsheng would be in immense trouble. He did not fear losing an avatar; even if an avatar died, it would not affect his true body. But right now, this avatar carried countless divine items and the Mortal Immortal tombstone fragments. If the avatar perished, all these treasures would be lost.
"I must end this swiftly!"
"The four imperial elders outside must be killed on the spot."
Lu Changsheng already had a plan. In the next moment, he walked straight to the treasury's stone doors and opened them.
Rumble!
The stone doors rose slowly, and a dense stench of blood drifted out. At the same time, Lu Changsheng's figure flashed as he emerged from the treasury.
"The scent of blood..."
"Not good, Her Majesty!"
"Kill him!"
The four imperial elders reacted swiftly, realizing something was wrong in an instant. Yet Lu Changsheng reacted even faster.
Boom!
Lu Changsheng's body split apart, dividing into four avatars. Yet each avatar carried the power of more than ten fused divine body and spirit body avatars, lunging toward the four imperial elders at once. The fusion of more than ten avatars unleashed power that reached the Martial Dao Sovereign level. Dealing with four imperial elders was effortless.
In a single breath, the four elders screamed in agony.
"Ah...!"
Then, the four imperial elders were blasted apart by Lu Changsheng's four avatars.
"Go!"
Lu Changsheng left immediately, sprinting toward the outside of the palace. Even though his strike had taken only an instant, fluctuations of power had still rippled outward, and the Imperial Elders Council noticed at once.
The black-robed elder snapped his eyes open. He monitored the entire Imperial Palace constantly, watching all areas except for a few confidential locations such as the Emperor's study, the treasury, the library, and the inner palace. But as Lu Changsheng sprinted toward the palace perimeter, the black-robed elder spotted him immediately and sensed what had occurred inside the treasury, catching sight of Empress Tianzhao's corpse.
"Insolent villain!"
"Activate the national divine item! Slay the fiend!"
The black-robed elder's eyes turned bloodshot. He had never imagined Lu Changsheng would be so brazen as to murder the sovereign right under their noses and plunder the Imperial Treasury. How could the imperial elders tolerate such outrageous defiance? Without the slightest hesitation, the imperial elders activated the national divine item.
Lu Changsheng was running at full speed. In truth, he had already broken out of the Imperial Palace and was currently within the Divine Capital, racing toward its outskirts. Yet despite putting distance between himself and the palace, he felt as though something had locked onto him. Warning bells rang in his heart as a sense of extreme peril welled up from within.
The national divine item! Undoubtedly, the national divine item had locked onto him.
"Rainbow Transformation Divine Body!"
Lu Changsheng no longer concealed his avatars, instantly switching from the Reincarnation Divine Body to the Rainbow Transformation Divine Body. In an instant, his speed soared, his body transforming into a streak of rainbow light that shot toward the outside of the Divine Capital.
Boom!
Suddenly, Lu Changsheng perceived a wave of dazzling white light. Vast and overwhelming, it filled the entire sky in an instant. Nothing remained in Lu Changsheng's vision except that radiant white glare. He felt an overwhelming sense of danger—this strike could kill him!
"Divide!"
At the critical juncture, Lu Changsheng split his form. Avatar after avatar materialized, every single one a flesh avatar. Spreading across the sky in dense swarms, there had to be thousands, if not tens of thousands, of flesh avatars—a truly staggering sight. Each avatar could be said to be Lu Changsheng, yet also not Lu Changsheng. Their auras were identical, their essence the same. Lu Changsheng did not know how the national divine item locked onto its targets, but he hoped deploying flesh avatars completely identical to himself might confuse it.
Whoosh!
The white light swept across.
In the void, thousands upon thousands of flesh avatars vanished without a trace in an instant, as if forcefully erased by some terrifying power.
Such was the national divine item! Before the national divine item, all beings and all powers were mere ants!
Chapter 335