Eight Hundred Avatars Merge: Quantitative Change Leads to Qualitative Change, Forging the Immortal Body Foundation!

Lu Changsheng stood quietly on the ancient turtle's back. The ancient turtle proved remarkably cooperative, opening its massive maw and blowing forward with tremendous force. *Whoosh...* A violent gale swept forth. The breath it unleashed struck like a tempest, sending the imperial family's divine body experts stumbling backward through the air to stay out of harm's way. At this sight, the royal powerhouses looked even more grim. "That ancient turtle..." A flicker of wariness rose in their hearts. They had paid little mind to the creature before. Only now, after it had exhaled with such force, did they realize just how terrifying it was. This was no ordinary beast; it was comparable to a peak divine body expert. And Lu Changsheng had managed to take a spirit beast of this caliber as his mount. His true strength was terrifying to contemplate. "Deploy the national divine item!" Any lingering trace of wishful thinking vanished from the minds of the Wenhua Divine Dynasty's royal experts. In a situation like this, their only recourse was to unleash their national divine item. "Hm?" Lu Changsheng immediately sensed a change. A faint premonition of danger gripped his heart. A national divine item! This was the second time Lu Changsheng had encountered one. The first, naturally, had been in the Great Qian Divine Dynasty's Divine Capital. Back then, he had clashed against it head-on and found its power truly formidable. Now, it was the Wenhua Divine Dynasty's turn. *Wait.* *Two national divine items?* Lu Changsheng snapped his gaze toward another direction. He felt another threat radiating from that quarter. In fact, this one felt even stronger. With Lu Changsheng's current prowess, only a national divine item could pose a danger to him. Could the Wenhua Divine Dynasty actually possess two national divine items? Yet the dynasty had always publicly claimed to possess only one. Perhaps this was the depth of their heritage! Two national divine items were truly an unexpected surprise. "The Wenhua Divine Dynasty is not Great Qian. How could someone like you ever fathom our dynasty's foundation?" "Even if you have realized it now, it is already too late." "With two national divine items unleashed, death is your only end!" Thin smiles appeared on the faces of the royal experts. Truth be told, if given enough time, Lu Changsheng might have been able to analyze the two national divine items. Once analyzed, they would cease to be a threat to him. However, while a Mortal Immortal possessed the capacity for analysis, it required vast amounts of time. The Wenhua Divine Dynasty was not about to afford him the luxury of slowly dissecting them. Lu Changsheng was directly confronting the danger of two national divine items at this very moment. Moreover, he could feel that both items had locked onto him. It seemed they possessed a tracking capability. Once locked on, Lu Changsheng could not escape no matter where he ran. His only alternative was to fuse all his avatars and unleash the might of the Ancestor Realm. Yet doing so would grant him merely a single breath of time. After one breath, the Kunwu World would expel him. Could he destroy two national divine items in a single breath? That was utterly impossible! "Master..." the ancient turtle murmured with anxiety. Lu Changsheng knew well what it was worried about. Against two national divine items, the ancient turtle was only at the peak divine body level, equivalent to the peak of the Limit Realm. It could not endure such a strike! If hit by the two national divine items, it would perish. Though it had lived for an eternity, it still had no desire to die. With a thought, Lu Changsheng acted. *Hum.* In an instant, the underwater manor manifested. A colossal estate loomed in the void, stretching out with immense grandeur. Then, it slammed downward. *Boom!* Though it was merely the manor's phantom projection, everything within range of the two national divine items was immediately enveloped within the underwater manor. "What?" "What treasure is that?" "Where are we?" "We seem to be trapped..." All at once, the royal experts dragged into the underwater manor turned pale with fright. In particular, the experts wielding the two national divine items felt their hearts sink. They had national divine items in hand, yet they had been instantly relocated into an unknown space. "Fuse." Lu Changsheng revealed himself. Inside the underwater manor, he had carved out an empty expanse of space. All his avatars merged entirely. As hundreds of avatars came together, Lu Changsheng's aura surged exponentially. Limit Realm, Sovereign Realm, and Ancestor Realm! Lu Changsheng's aura instantly erupted to the Ancestor Realm, its sheer weight suffocating the royal experts. The faces of those experts contorted in horror. Knowing what an aura of this magnitude signified, they cried out in disbelief: "Doesn't the Kunwu World possess a force of expulsion?" "The Kunwu World forbids the presence of any existence surpassing the Limit Realm! How can he be completely unaffected?" "He is actually an Ancestor Realm expert..." "It must be this treasure! It seems to have severed all connection between us and the Kunwu World. Most likely, even the rules of the Kunwu World cannot reach inside, allowing him to unleash his Ancestor Realm power without restraint!" "We are in serious trouble now..." The royal powerhouses' hearts plummeted. They were experienced and knowledgeable, immediately deducing the reality of the situation. Though they were formidable in the Kunwu World—especially when wielding national divine items—they also understood full well that out in the Boundary Sea, they amounted to nothing. How could a pair of national divine items ever compete against true Ancestor Realm powerhouses? The might of an Ancestor Realm entity shook the heavens and shattered the earth. They had never imagined Lu Changsheng was an Ancestor Realm powerhouse, let alone one capable of severing the Kunwu World's influence to exert the full might of that realm. "Kill!" Having reached this point, the royal experts had no other choice. They struck first. Both national divine items were unleashed simultaneously. *Boom! Boom!* A massive pillar of light crashed toward Lu Changsheng in an instant. The second pillar of light surged forth as though it could annihilate everything in existence. Lu Changsheng's physical form began to disintegrate under the onslaught. Two pillars of light, two attacks carrying power at the Ancestor Realm level. This time, Lu Changsheng truly experienced the potency of national divine items. They were indeed at the Ancestor Realm level. In the past, he could never have withstood such a strike. Now, however, things were different. "Heaven!" "Overturning!" "Seal!" Lu Changsheng brought his hands together. This time, he unleashed the Heaven-Overturning Seal with all his might. It was a Heaven-Overturning Seal driven by the power of the Ancestor Realm. Instantly, heaven and earth seemed to invert, and the starry sky appeared to shatter. Everyone present felt an irresistible force crashing down, threatening to grind them into dust. *Rumble!* The three forces collided head-on, erupting simultaneously. "No..." A royal expert cried out in agony. The two national divine items were truly powerful. In raw strength, they were on par with Lu Changsheng. Unfortunately, external objects were external objects in the end. Moreover, the wielders of these divine items were not true Ancestor Realm powerhouses. Within the Kunwu World, they were naturally invincible. After all, without even Sovereign Realm experts in the Kunwu World, who could possibly withstand Ancestor Realm-level national divine items? Yet this was the underwater manor. Ancestor Realm power could be displayed here without restriction, and the opponent they faced was a true Ancestor Realm entity—at least in terms of his physical body. In terms of endurance alone, the royal experts lagged far behind. Thus, after mere moments, they could no longer hold on. The national divine items could still clash head-on. Their wielders, however, could not. How could mere divine body cultivators intervene in a clash of Ancestor Realm proportions? Even with national divine items in hand, they could not bridge the gap! *Spurt.* Finally, a royal expert spat a mouthful of blood. He had reached his limit. And that was merely the beginning. Soon followed a second, a third, a fourth, a fifth... One by one, the royal experts collapsed. "Stop! Stop!" "We concede..." "We submit to your disposal, Your Excellency..." The royal expert wielding the divine item watched this unfold with bloodshot eyes. His heart was steeped in despair. He knew the Wenhua Divine Dynasty had lost. Against Lu Changsheng, they were utterly outmatched. As it turned out, when forced into a direct confrontation with an Ancestor Realm expert, they were pathetically fragile. Wielding their national divine items, they had carried themselves with supreme arrogance in the Kunwu World. They had even harbored illusions of competing against the Ancestor Realm entities of the Boundary Sea. Now they saw just how short-sighted they had been. When truly facing an Ancestor Realm expert, they were completely powerless. If this continued, every royal cultivator present would die today. Even the vast Wenhua Divine Dynasty would collapse in an instant... So they bowed their heads. They had no choice but to yield! Lu Changsheng did indeed halt his attack. Killing people solved little. Furthermore, he had no deep hatred for the Wenhua Divine Dynasty's royal family. Nor did he wish to see the dynasty collapse. After all, he still had use for them. "Hand over the divine items," Lu Changsheng said indifferently. "Yes." The royal experts gritted their teeth, their faces filled with indignation. Yet what could they do now? They had no choice but to hand the national divine items over to Lu Changsheng. Lu Changsheng looked at the national divine items before him and took hold of them without hesitation. Two national divine items. In truth, these items were similar to magic treasures, yet not entirely the same. They required specific divine bodies to operate. Without the requisite divine body, one could not control them. Lu Changsheng was not interested in wielding them; his interest lay in the rules embedded within them. He wanted to analyze the national divine items. However, there was no rush. After all, items of this level could not be analyzed in a short span of time. Lu Changsheng had more pressing matters to attend to first. Namely, how to deal with the members of the Wenhua royal family. "I will give you two choices." "Either I kill you all here, return outside to tear through your capital, execute the key figures of your royal family, and watch the Wenhua Divine Dynasty crumble." "Or I let you return, provided you surrender all divine items stored in your royal treasury, and subsequently scour the world for divine items on my behalf." "I will also study these national divine items for a time. If your performance satisfies me, I may return them to you one day." "Two choices. Decide for yourselves." Lu Changsheng fell silent after speaking. The royal experts exchanged glances. Was this a choice? This was an ultimatum! He claimed there were two options, but who wished to die? Furthermore, even if they fought to the bitter end and died, the Wenhua Divine Dynasty would still fall apart. In the end, one of the royal experts spoke slowly, "We hope Mister Lu will keep his word." "Our Wenhua Divine Dynasty will obey Mister Lu's every demand." They agreed. After all, they had no other option. "Very well. You have made the correct choice." With a thought, Lu Changsheng dismissed the underwater manor. The group reappeared in the skies above Wendu. "Lead the way to the palace and arrange a hall for me." "Yes, Mister Lu." All haughtiness had vanished from the royal experts; they complied with utter deference. Most importantly, the royal family no longer held any national divine items. Both had fallen into Lu Changsheng's hands. Even if they wished to scheme, they lacked the leverage to do so. In fact, they had to do everything in their power to keep the news under wraps. Under no circumstances could the outside world learn that the royal family had lost its national divine items. Otherwise, the entire Wenhua Divine Dynasty would plunge into chaos. Lu Changsheng proceeded directly to the Imperial Palace. The royal family prepared a private hall for him. It was magnificent and opulent. Lu Changsheng paid it no mind, though the ancient turtle crawled about, inspecting every corner. "National divine items..." Lu Changsheng began to analyze them. Though it would require a vast amount of time, this was the essence of cultivating the Mortal Immortal Dao. Analyzing all things! Analyzing rules! Analyzing power! Only in this manner could his progress in the Mortal Immortal Dao advance. While Lu Changsheng remained quietly in the Imperial Palace, the outside world was already in an uproar. After all, Lu Changsheng standing atop a giant turtle in the skies above Wendu, confronting the royal family, was an event witnessed by all. Yet now, he had taken up residence in the Imperial Palace. The turn of events had come too quickly. Astute observers had already deduced what this meant. "The royal family... has been defeated." "Indeed. If they hadn't lost, why would they welcome Lu Changsheng into the palace?" "It has been confirmed that this Lu Changsheng slew the Emperor of Great Qian and wreaked havoc across their capital. He is almost certainly an otherworldly demon. Yet our Wenhua Divine Dynasty can do nothing against him." "Who knows what objective this otherworldly demon has in entering the palace? The peace our dynasty has enjoyed for so many years will likely be shattered..." Many saw the situation clearly. The Wenhua royal family had suffered a total defeat! In the end, their only option had been to usher Lu Changsheng into the palace. Some guessed that an agreement had been struck between the royal family and Lu Changsheng. Yet no one leaked what that agreement entailed. Undercurrents surged throughout the dynasty. However, because news of the national divine items had been suppressed, the overall situation remained under control. Only the highest echelons in the palace—such as the Emperor—knew how dire their circumstances truly were. The life and death of everyone in the palace no longer belonged to them. Their fates rested entirely in Lu Changsheng's hands. Yet they had no way to resist. They did not even dare make a suspicious move, terrified of provoking Lu Changsheng's displeasure. Lu Changsheng kept the national divine items by his side. Without them, the royal family fulfilled his every request with complete obedience, daring not feign compliance while secretly defying him. For instance, when Lu Changsheng requested divine items, the royal family emptied their vaults. They gave nearly every divine item they possessed to him. The Wenhua Divine Dynasty held far more divine items than Great Qian. In terms of historical foundation, Wenhua ran far deeper. Lu Changsheng inspected the divine items before him. "Eighty-one divine body divine items, and two hundred and thirty-two spirit body divine items." This was the accumulated wealth of the Wenhua royal treasury. It far surpassed what Great Qian had gathered. Lu Changsheng then took stock of the divine items inside the underwater manor. The items in the manor were all of the divine body rank, with none at the spirit body level. Their number reached an astonishing total: two hundred and thirteen! The quantity of divine body items in the underwater manor exceeded the combined totals of Great Qian and Wenhua. It truly lived up to its name as the collection of a Mortal Immortal. Even without deliberately seeking them out, vast mountains of divine items had accumulated over the endless ages. Lu Changsheng now possessed two hundred and ninety-four divine body items and two hundred and thirteen spirit body items left unrefined. Refining them would undoubtedly take a long time. There were simply too many. Over five hundred divine items in total! Once he refined them all, what transformation would occur when his avatars merged? Lu Changsheng did not know whether this quantitative buildup would spark a qualitative change. He had to test it himself. And so, Lu Changsheng began refining the divine items. Whether spirit body or divine body items, he refined them all. At the same time, he set aside time to analyze the two national divine items. His days in the Wendu palace were thoroughly packed. Every day was spent in cultivation, and every day brought immense improvement. Days turned into months. One month, two months, three months... In the blink of an eye, two years passed. On this day, Lu Changsheng finally finished refining the last divine item. The process had taken a full two years because he had devoted significant time to analyzing the national divine items. That endeavor consumed a great deal of his energy. Moreover, his avatars could not multiply without limit. He needed time to gradually develop the flesh and blood of his avatars before he could continue dividing them. This naturally slowed the speed at which he refined divine items. Regardless, today he had finally refined them all. Lu Changsheng now possessed 363 divine body avatars and 470 spirit body avatars. His avatar count had reached an astonishing 833. It was a staggering number. Even Lu Changsheng had never imagined he would amass so many avatars in such a short period. And every single one was at the spirit body or divine body level. "Over eight hundred avatars..." "I wonder what will happen when they merge." "Let's test it." Lu Changsheng took a deep breath. "Fuse!" The next instant, over eight hundred avatars merged completely! *Rumble!* Lu Changsheng's body shuddered violently. Merging avatars was something he knew inside out, a process as familiar to him as breathing. Yet fusing over eight hundred avatars was a first even for him. No one had ever walked this path before. Lu Changsheng was the sole pioneer. As his body continued to vibrate, his aura climbed steadily higher. Countless divine bodies and spirit bodies collided and integrated at this moment. Suddenly, fragments of memories surfaced in Lu Changsheng's mind. These fragments seemed to pertain entirely to divine bodies and spirit bodies. The constant interplay of countless divine and spirit bodies granted Lu Changsheng a glimpse into the true essence of an immortal body. After all, divine bodies and spirit bodies were merely extraordinary constitutions originating from the Heaven Realm. Or rather, pseudo-immortal bodies. A spark of enlightenment struck Lu Changsheng's mind. He understood. Whether spirit bodies or divine bodies, they could theoretically undergo a transformation into an immortal body through prolonged cultivation. Yet that was purely theoretical. The sheer scale of fortunate encounters and resources required would be unimaginable. Even in the Heaven Realm, transforming a spirit body or divine body into an immortal body was extraordinarily difficult. Lu Changsheng, however, had taken a completely different approach. Using his Flesh Martial Dao avatars, he had cultivated countless spirit bodies and divine bodies. Then he merged them. This was equivalent to synthesizing the potential of countless divine and spirit bodies. Merging them all at once finally broke through that barrier. At this moment, Lu Changsheng clearly sensed his avatar undergoing a transformation. An immortal body! His avatar had completely evolved into an immortal body! "An immortal body?" "Just like that?" Even Lu Changsheng was caught by surprise. The immortal body he had dreamed of had actually been achieved so effortlessly? "Hm?" Suddenly, a sense of danger seized his heart. *Not good!* Lu Changsheng immediately felt a terrifying force of expulsion descend. It seemed ready to cast him out in less than a single breath. "Underwater manor!" Lu Changsheng instantly activated the underwater manor. *Boom!* The underwater manor enveloped his current avatar, completely severing it from the Kunwu World. The terrifying force of expulsion vanished without a trace. *That was close!* *I was almost expelled from the Kunwu World.* *It seems I must cultivate inside the underwater manor from now on.* In his excitement, Lu Changsheng had forgotten to enter the underwater manor beforehand. Fortunately, he had reacted in time. Of course, even if he had been expelled, it would not have been disastrous. At worst, he could have manifested a weaker avatar to enter the Kunwu World again. It would simply have caused far more trouble. Lu Changsheng immediately called up the attribute panel to examine his current status. Host: Lu Changsheng Comprehension: 62,680,000 (Peerless Through the Ages) Mortal Immortal Dao: 2% (Entered the Dao) Myriad Spirits Immortal Body Foundation: 1% (Not Yet Complete) Flesh Martial Dao: Octonary Growth Comprehension Deduction: Can consume large amounts of comprehension to perform deductions Sure enough, an entry for "Myriad Spirits Immortal Body Foundation" had appeared on the attribute panel. Lu Changsheng figured it was named "Myriad Spirits" because he had fused over eight hundred divine and spirit bodies. Yet this was undeniably an immortal body. Lu Changsheng already knew that the Myriad Spirits Immortal Body belonged to the cultivation system of a Heaven Realm Upper Immortal. "However, this Myriad Spirits Immortal Body has merely established its foundation; it is not yet a true immortal body. That is why it remains incomplete. Only upon reaching completion will it forge a true immortal body, allowing me to become a Heaven Realm Upper Immortal!" After a moment's contemplation, Lu Changsheng understood his present state. Merging so many divine and spirit bodies had not made him an immortal; it had merely forged the foundation of an immortal body. It was similar to establishing the foundation of a divine body. In essence, he had stepped onto the path of a Heaven Realm Upper Immortal. Now, Lu Changsheng had two viable paths leading toward the Immortal Realm. One was the immortal body path of a Heaven Realm Upper Immortal. The other was the path of entering the Dao through the Mortal Immortal Dao. Lu Changsheng had long analyzed the merits of each. Would he discard the immortal body path? Impossible! He would walk both immortal paths! After all, Lu Changsheng could not guarantee that the Mortal Immortal Dao would definitely reach fruition. Adding the immortal body path granted him an extra measure of hope.