Secret of the Road to Ascending Heaven, the Sixth Tombstone Fragment!

"Ancestor Realm!" Lu Changsheng's life had sublimated. With the fusion of his avatars, he had completely stepped into the Ancestor Realm. However, he had only a single breath of time. He could already feel the terrifying force of repulsion descending upon him. Within that single breath, he had to disperse his avatars. Otherwise, he would be cast out of the Kunwu World, and once outside, re-entering would demand an immense price. At this moment, Lu Changsheng elevated his consciousness to the absolute limit, firmly perceiving everything within the Road to Ascending Heaven. Only in the Ancestor Realm could one truly set foot upon the Road to Ascending Heaven. Now, Lu Changsheng wanted to sense what was genuinely different once he became an Ancestor Realm being. *Buzz.* As Lu Changsheng became an Ancestor Realm lifeform, the Road to Ascending Heaven before his eyes truly seemed to change. He was no longer plunged into pitch darkness. Instead, there was an unseen calling—a summons rising from the depths of the Road to Ascending Heaven. What had once appeared to be an endless path now seemed very short, as though taking a single step could bring him straight to its end. *Whoosh.* Lu Changsheng traversed layer upon layer of dark obstacles. It seemed he had truly arrived at the end of the Road to Ascending Heaven. Yet what did he see? It was severed! The end of the Road to Ascending Heaven was actually broken off. There was no way forward. And yet, across the broken precipice, Lu Changsheng could faintly sense what seemed to be a magnificent, colossal world exerting an irresistible pull upon his current self. "The Heaven Realm!" Lu Changsheng spoke slowly, syllable by syllable. He understood now. The destination of the Road to Ascending Heaven was none other than the Heaven Realm. Only those in the Ancestor Realm could vaguely sense the Heaven Realm from within the road. Earlier, when Lu Changsheng had unleashed Ancestor Realm power outside, he had not sensed the Heaven Realm at all. If one attained the Immortal Realm, that perception would likely be even clearer. "So, when coming to the Road to Ascending Heaven, only the Ancestor Realm can sense the Heaven Realm? "There was once a saying that those in the Ancestor Realm could also travel to the Heaven Realm via the Road to Ascending Heaven. Though exceedingly difficult, a slim glimmer of hope existed. "If one sees through the Ancestor Realm and achieves the Immortal Realm, one can head to the Heaven Realm even without the road. "Yet some upheaval seems to have occurred in the Boundary Sea: not only is the Road to Ascending Heaven severed, but even those in the Immortal Realm can no longer journey to the Heaven Realm on their own..." At this moment, Lu Changsheng understood completely. The Road to Ascending Heaven was broken. This particular road was no different. Those in the Ancestor Realm could see that it was severed, but those below could not see it at all; they would merely remain trapped within the road forever. "Disperse." Lu Changsheng dismissed his avatars. If he maintained them any longer, he would be cast out of the Kunwu World. Now that he had dispersed his avatars, Lu Changsheng fell back down from the Ancestor Realm. When he looked ahead again, where was any sign of the end? He was once again submerged in endless darkness. Yet now, Lu Changsheng understood everything. "Without reaching the Ancestor Realm, one can never perceive the true Road to Ascending Heaven! One will only wander endlessly in the dark. "However, once in the Ancestor Realm, one can sense the road and freely enter or leave it. "Therefore, leaving the Road to Ascending Heaven will now be effortless for me..." This time, Lu Changsheng truly grasped it. The Road to Ascending Heaven was indeed special, but only to those below the Ancestor Realm. For the Ancestor Realm, entering and leaving the road posed no issue whatsoever. In fact, if the Road to Ascending Heaven were intact, Ancestor Realm experts could even try their luck here to see if they could ascend to the Heaven Realm through it. It was just that Ancestor Realm cultivators no longer had that opportunity, because the road was broken. Entering the Heaven Realm was simply impossible. Now that Lu Changsheng knew the secret of the Road to Ascending Heaven, he felt no attachment to remaining here. He even understood what those undying wandering souls were: they were a rule naturally spawned by the Road to Ascending Heaven. Ascending the heavens was hard! Anyone below the Ancestor Realm who entered the road would be obstructed by these undying wandering souls. Those in the Ancestor Realm, however, were unaffected by them. They could be viewed as the "rules" of the Road to Ascending Heaven. Having grasped the nature of the road, Lu Changsheng originally intended to depart. However, when he had briefly entered the Ancestor Realm, he had sensed a peculiar object within the road. It was an unexpected pleasant surprise, one that could never have been discovered without being in the Ancestor Realm. Lu Changsheng pulled the Mortal Immortal tombstone fragment from his robe. "The tombstone fragment isn't reacting... "This Road to Ascending Heaven is truly peculiar; only in the Ancestor Realm can one see the 'true' road. "Just moments ago, I clearly sensed a Mortal Immortal tombstone fragment right before me, yet my fragment isn't reacting in the slightest. "It seems I'll have to merge my avatars once more and step into the Ancestor Realm again..." Lu Changsheng murmured softly, looking thoughtful. The Mortal Immortal tombstone fragments were crucial, as they pertained to the immortal body. Lu Changsheng had no doubts remaining about the Ancestor Realm, but he did not understand the immortal body at all. An immortal body did not equate to the Immortal Realm. Yet once an immortal body was forged, one possessed the explosive power of the Immortal Realm. If one attained the power first, would comprehending the realm afterward still be a problem? However, that path was exceedingly difficult. It was equivalent to first acquiring Ancestor Realm power in the Boundary Sea, and then turning back to comprehend the realm. Though exceptionally rare, such paths indeed existed. The immortal body was one such example, and even the divine body was similar. A perfected divine body was comparable to the Ancestor Realm! Yet achieving perfection with a divine body was unimaginably difficult. Now that Lu Changsheng possessed Mortal Immortal tombstone fragments and had a chance to uncover the secrets of the immortal body, he had no intention of letting this lead slip away. After all, this was an opportunity—an opportunity to forge an immortal body and step into the Immortal Realm! Lu Changsheng knew well just how difficult reaching the Immortal Realm was. Among the three Martial Ancestors of the Immortal Martial World, had any reached the Immortal Realm? Among the numerous Ancestor Realm figures in the Boundary Sea, who had stepped into the Immortal Realm? Many of those Ancestor Realm figures had differing goals: they wanted not only to enter the Road to Ascending Heaven, but also to achieve the Immortal Realm. Yet among so many Ancestor Realm experts, Lu Changsheng had never heard of a single one who had entered the Immortal Realm. The only possible exception might be the Giant Spirit Ancestor. From the blood memories of the Giant Spirit Ancestor, Lu Changsheng could only speculate that the Giant Spirit Ancestor might have surpassed the Ancestor Realm to step into the Immortal Realm. Still, it was only speculation, unconfirmed. "Merge!" Without hesitation, Lu Changsheng instantly merged his avatars again. Even if he had only a single breath of time, he had to obtain that Mortal Immortal tombstone fragment. It was of paramount importance. *Boom.* Sure enough, as Lu Changsheng regained Ancestor Realm power, he felt the entire Road to Ascending Heaven change once more. This time, his objective was unmistakable: that Mortal Immortal tombstone fragment. *Whoosh.* Lu Changsheng took a step forward, arriving beside the fragment in an instant. He saw it. A skeleton lay on the ground. Who could it have been, to leave behind a corpse that reduced to a skeleton within the Road to Ascending Heaven? Upon the skeleton rested a Mortal Immortal tombstone fragment. Only now, at such close proximity, did the fragment on Lu Changsheng's person finally react. "Collect." Reaching out, Lu Changsheng snatched the Mortal Immortal tombstone fragment into his grasp. Immediately afterward, he dispersed his avatars. The repulsive force dissipated, but Lu Changsheng now possessed an additional Mortal Immortal tombstone fragment. He brought out the larger piece he had already assembled. "This is the sixth Mortal Immortal tombstone fragment..." Lu Changsheng merged the two fragments. Soon, an even larger Mortal Immortal tombstone fragment took shape, vaguely resembling the form of a tombstone. After all, six fragments were now combined. With three more, all nine fragments would be assembled, and the Mortal Immortal tombstone would be completely restored. "Time to leave..." Lu Changsheng already knew the Road to Ascending Heaven was broken. Having obtained the sixth Mortal Immortal tombstone fragment, remaining here held no further purpose. The road, whose shackles trapped others indefinitely, was trivial for Lu Changsheng to leave. As long as he wished, he could walk right out. Any Ancestor Realm expert could leave. Yet that was precisely where the difficulty lay. The Kunwu World repelled any cultivator above the Sovereign Realm. Even Martial Dao Sovereigns were driven out, let alone those in the Ancestor Realm. If anyone were truly in the Ancestor Realm, they would have been ejected from the Kunwu World long ago. A national divine item was merely an artifact, a product born under the rules of the Kunwu World, and would not be repelled. An actual Ancestor Realm cultivator, however, would inevitably be cast out. Lu Changsheng was different. He could temporarily elevate himself to the Ancestor Realm and wield its power. Even under the realm's repulsion, he still had a single breath of time, which was more than enough for him to leave the Road to Ascending Heaven. "Merge!" In the next moment, Lu Changsheng once again merged all his avatars, raising himself to the Ancestor Realm. Stepping into that level once more, Lu Changsheng strode directly outward toward the exit. *Buzz.* This time, there was no resistance whatsoever. Ripples like water stirred around Lu Changsheng, and he stepped right through with ease. *Whoosh.* When Lu Changsheng gathered his senses, he was already standing in Shannan Prefectural City. This was the real Shannan Prefectural City. However, because the three Boundary Sea cultivators had activated the Road to Ascending Heaven, everyone in the city had perished inside it. Consequently, Shannan Prefectural City was now a dead city; no living soul would enter. "No one here?" Lu Changsheng looked up. The surroundings were empty; not a single person was in sight. In truth, he had already walked out of Shannan Prefectural City and arrived beyond the city walls. Lu Changsheng remembered clearly that the army mobilized by the prefect had been encamped right here, and traces of the encampment remained. Yet everyone was gone. The vicinity was deserted—not a silhouette remained. Lu Changsheng had an unsettling premonition. *Did the prefect run away?* The prefect had gathered so many experts to resolve the threat of the otherworldly godly beings entrenched in Shannan Prefectural City. In the end, those experts had been ensnared inside, while the prefect fled with his army? Lu Changsheng furrowed his brow. What was this supposed to mean? Had he been swindled? *Hmph.* "So many people died, and even I was nearly trapped. Does the prefect truly think he can walk away so cleanly?" A glint of coldness flashed in Lu Changsheng's eyes. *Whoosh.* In the next instant, Lu Changsheng vanished. He visited nearby cities and inquired about what had happened with Shannan Prefectural City, largely piecing together the sequence of events. Shannan Prefectural City had been declared a forbidden zone. This had not been decided by the prefectural yamen, but decreed directly by the Wenhua Divine Dynasty. The old Shannan Prefectural City was now entirely off-limits, and no one was allowed to approach it. As for the prefect? He had returned to the prefectural seat long ago. Ordinary people knew very little about what had transpired in Shannan Prefectural City, so Lu Changsheng decided to pay the prefect a personal visit. ... Night had fallen, and the prefect was restless with anxiety. His sleep had been terrible for some time now. Months ago, he had mobilized an army to march on Shannan Prefectural City, only to suffer an utter catastrophe. Worst of all, so many divine body and spirit body experts had died. Although the Wenhua Divine Dynasty had ultimately issued orders designating Shannan Prefectural City as a forbidden zone, allowing him to weather the crisis as prefect, the families and factions backing those dead experts were placing relentless pressure upon him. Even if the prefect did not fear them outright, conducting business in the yamen was no longer as smooth as before. To say he was run ragged would not be an exaggeration. *Whoosh...* Suddenly, a breeze swept past. The prefect felt a chill and prepared to stand up to shut the window. Yet just as he rose, he saw a silhouette standing right inside his chamber. "Who is there?!" A jolt went through the prefect's body. "Lord Prefect, I trust you have been well?" Lu Changsheng stepped into view. Upon seeing Lu Changsheng, the prefect recognized him immediately. "You... you are the divine body expert from Shengzhou City who asked to visit the academy's archives. You are Lu Changsheng?" The prefect remembered him, knowing his name and background. Yet it was precisely because of this that the prefect was utterly stunned. "How... how did you emerge from the Road to Ascending Heaven? "I clearly recall that you entered it—there was no mistake about that! "None of the others made it out. You alone came back?" Shock filled the prefect's eyes. Lu Changsheng had come out! He had actually emerged from the Road to Ascending Heaven! What did this signify? As a provincial governor overseeing a territory, he possessed detailed intelligence regarding the Road to Ascending Heaven. The emissaries from the Wenhua Divine Dynasty had stated with absolute clarity: once anyone stepped onto the Road to Ascending Heaven, death was guaranteed! It was impossible for anyone to walk back out. Yet Lu Changsheng was standing right before his eyes, completely unharmed! How was this possible? "What, Lord Prefect, you seem quite astonished? "It appears Lord Prefect is well aware of the terrors of the Road to Ascending Heaven. "Then why did you send us to our deaths back then?" Lu Changsheng's tone was calm, yet his words held no politeness whatsoever. If the prefect failed to provide a satisfactory answer today, Lu Changsheng would not hesitate to slaughter him on the spot. A mere prefect was nothing. What if it offended the Wenhua Divine Dynasty? He had dared to kill the Emperor of the Great Qian Divine Dynasty—why would he fear killing a single prefect? At this point, the prefect realized he was in grave danger. He hesitated no further and gave a bitter smile. "Mr. Lu, back then, even I didn't know that was the Road to Ascending Heaven! I believed that otherworldly godly beings had entrenched themselves in Shannan Prefectural City, which was why I assembled experts to deal with them. "Only after the envoys arrived from the divine dynasty did I learn about the Road to Ascending Heaven. "Right now, I am run ragged and don't even know how long I can retain my post as prefect, all because the relatives and factions of those experts are making life miserable for me. "Had I known it would bring about such catastrophic consequences, why would I have sent everyone to their deaths? What would I have gained?" Lu Changsheng considered this; it did make sense. The prefect had no motive to send them to their deaths. It was a thankless task that offered no benefit. Most likely, the prefect truly had not known about the Road to Ascending Heaven until higher-ups from the divine dynasty arrived and informed him. "How did the emissaries from the imperial court explain it to you?" Lu Changsheng asked. "Higher-ups from the court indeed arrived in person and investigated Shannan Prefectural City. Later, they said the investigation was concluded, ordering the army to withdraw and designating the area around Shannan Prefectural City as a forbidden zone. They explained to me that it was the Road to Ascending Heaven, a place of extreme peril. "Entering it was certain death! Any who stepped into the Road to Ascending Heaven were almost certainly dead, and no one could save them. "I had no other recourse but to follow orders and retreat, until Mr. Lu arrived at the yamen tonight..." The prefect remained intensely curious. Why hadn't Lu Changsheng died? Could it be that Lu Changsheng had never entered the Road to Ascending Heaven? Yet that made no sense—he had clearly seen Lu Changsheng enter... The prefect dared not pry further, but Lu Changsheng easily guessed his thoughts. Lu Changsheng pondered briefly, then said, "Back then, everyone entered Shannan Prefectural City, not the Road to Ascending Heaven directly. "The road lay within the city, and nearly everyone charged into it. Being cautious by nature, I planned to enter a bit later. "After waiting several days, not a single person came out. Realizing something was wrong, I refrained from stepping in altogether and remained hidden within Shannan Prefectural City. It wasn't until recently that I came out, only to find the army had withdrawn." Lu Changsheng's explanation sounded plausible enough on the surface, though it was rather forced. The prefect remained half-believing and half-doubting, yet Lu Changsheng was not looking to convince him. Whether the prefect believed it or not made no difference to him. "Lord Prefect, so many people died, and I myself narrowly escaped with my life. "May I ask, where is Lord Prefect's compensation?" Since Lu Changsheng had come, he would not leave empty-handed. His venture into the Road to Ascending Heaven truly had been a narrow escape, far from the effortless affair he had described. Even if the prefect had not deliberately sent them to their deaths, Lu Changsheng still intended to extort a heavy price from him. "Compensation?" The prefect was startled. What compensation could he possibly want? In truth, the dead were dead. As a high-ranking official, what could the families of those dead experts do to him? Commoners could not fight officials. Had those divine and spirit body experts still been alive, they naturally would not fear the prefect, but they were dead. Lu Changsheng was different: he was a living, breathing divine body expert standing right before him. The prefect cautiously asked, "Mr. Lu, what sort of compensation do you desire?" "Divine items! "Preferably divine-body-level divine items—the more, the better! "Every single divine item in the prefectural yamen's treasury, Lu wants them all!" Lu Changsheng stated his demand. This was an exorbitant extortion, and the prefect was shocked. Those were divine items! Even as prefect, he could not squander them at will; using even a single one required filing reports through layer upon layer of bureaucracy and awaiting imperial approval. Now Lu Changsheng wanted all the divine items stored in the yamen's treasury. This was outright robbery! "Impossible... That is absolutely out of the question!" The prefect refused immediately. "Is that so? "In that case, Lu will simply slay Lord Prefect, and go fetch them from the treasury himself." Lu Changsheng could not be bothered with pleasantries. If the prefect refused, he would take them on his own. Hearing Lu Changsheng's murderous words, the prefect jumped in fright and said hurriedly, "Wait, wait! "Mr. Lu, please do not act rashly! "The divine items in the treasury—I can give them to you. But I implore you, Mr. Lu, never let slip the slightest word of this! Otherwise, not only will Mr. Lu face trouble, but my own head will not remain on my shoulders..." The prefect wore a miserable expression. How dared he refuse? Refuse now, and he would die on the spot. Agree, and he might still face execution if the court investigated later. However, there was a window of time before that could happen; he could work around it slowly. Giving the divine items in the treasury to Lu Changsheng now meant he could take his time fabricating reports and covering up the deficit, striving to sweep the matter under the rug. In the worst case, once he covered it up for a time, he could immediately resign from office. By the time a new official assumed office, the disappearance of the items would have nothing to do with him. At least his life would be spared. Which mattered more, life or rules? The prefect knew very well. And so, with a faint half-smile, Lu Changsheng was led by the prefect into the treasury. The treasury mostly held silver and coin, but also rare curiosities and treasures prepared as tribute for the divine dynasty. Lu Changsheng had no interest in ordinary treasures. With a sweep of his consciousness, he immediately located a great quantity of divine items. While fewer than what lay in the Imperial Treasury of the Great Qian Divine Dynasty, it was still a considerable bounty. "Collect." Lu Changsheng did not hold back, sweeping his sleeve and taking all the divine items. "My thanks to Lord Prefect." Flicking into motion, Lu Changsheng departed from the prefectural yamen. Looking at the cleaned-out treasury, the prefect had a bitter, weeping face. He had no choice now but to devise ways to cover it up. He truly regretted his past decisions. Why had he provoked those otherworldly godly beings in the first place? Wouldn't reporting directly to the divine court have been better? He could have let the imperial court send down experts to handle it; at worst, he would have earned no merit. Instead, eager to claim credit, he had mobilized local experts to deal with the otherworldly godly beings himself, and now he was reduced to this miserable state. One careless slip and his head would roll. It had truly not been worth it. Lu Changsheng did not care about the prefect's thoughts. Having already left the prefectural capital, he headed straight for Shengzhou City. Before long, Lu Changsheng returned to the Zhao clan of Shengzhou City. Zhao Shuwen and Miss Qin Xuan were already married. Having acquired the sixth tombstone fragment, Lu Changsheng now possessed an additional immortal character. He tossed it straight to Zhao Shuwen to study and decipher carefully, while he himself returned to his room to enter secluded cultivation. He needed to refine all the divine items he had obtained. By practically cleaning out the prefectural treasury, he had gained eight divine-body-level divine items and twenty-three spirit-body-level divine items. It was an undeniably bountiful haul. Lu Changsheng began refining them. After roughly half a month of refinement, Lu Changsheng emerged from seclusion. Every divine item had been fully refined. Lu Changsheng now commanded a vast number of avatars: sixty-nine divine body avatars and two hundred and thirty-eight spirit body avatars. Combined, his total avatar count had reached three hundred and seven. The total surpassed three hundred! With over three hundred avatars, Lu Changsheng's strength had surged by a tremendous margin once again. Seeing so many divine and spirit body avatars and feeling his power constantly grow, Lu Changsheng even conceived a bold notion. If he continued hunting down divine items like this, what would happen once his avatars reached four hundred, five hundred, or even more than a thousand? Would it be possible to shatter the shackles of the Ancestor Realm and step directly into the Immortal Realm? A quantitative change leading to a qualitative transformation. It did not seem impossible! No one had ever succeeded through such a method before, but that did not mean Lu Changsheng couldn't. After all, those in the past had lacked the uniquely blessed Flesh Martial Dao, which was Lu Changsheng's original creation. Previously, it had seemed to have limited potential. Now, however, Lu Changsheng felt that the Flesh Martial Dao held boundless promise! As long as there were enough avatars, and as long as there were enough divine items—if one thousand were not enough, then two thousand, three thousand, or even ten thousand. As long as the number of divine items and avatars was sufficient, upon merging, could he truly not break through the shackles of the Ancestor Realm and attain the Immortal Realm?