"Fellow Daoist Juding, how do you wish to test me?" Lu Changsheng asked.
"Then forgive my offense in advance. I hope Fellow Daoist Dengtian will accompany me to the arena," Ancestor Juding said plainly.
Going to the arena was obviously meant to measure Lu Changsheng's weight—to see if he truly possessed top-tier Ancestor Realm strength, and whether he could genuinely shelter the Giant Spirit race.
Even though the Giant Spirit race was reduced to a mere handful of survivors, Ancestor Juding remained exceedingly cautious. After all, this might be his people's sole remaining chance.
Thus, both parties headed straight for the arena.
The arenas were divided into open and private enclosures. Ancestor Juding naturally had no desire for a public spectacle, so he chose a private arena.
Even so, Ancestor Juding was a powerhouse who had emerged from the Zhou family, his life story bordering on the legendary. The moment he appeared in the Zhou family's domain, he immediately attracted attention.
"Isn't that Ancestor Juding?"
"Yes, that's him."
"Who could have imagined that a slave could climb step by step to such heights and become an exalted Ancestor Realm expert? What incredible luck."
"Luck? Heh. Try fighting over a thousand life-and-death arena battles yourself and see if you still call it luck."
"Ancestor Juding already broke free from the Zhou family and no longer needs to fight in the arenas. What is he doing back here?"
"Who knows? Maybe it has something to do with those two unfamiliar Ancestor Realm figures..."
Though the crowd buzzed with speculation, none knew the real reason and could only guess.
Ancestor Juding paid no heed to the outside chatter. Both he and Lu Changsheng stepped onto the arena stage.
"Fellow Daoist Dengtian, you can fight without holding back on this arena; even the power of a top-tier Ancestor Realm expert cannot damage it. Therefore, please hold nothing back!" Ancestor Juding said in a deep voice.
He was no ordinary Ancestor Realm combatant. Among high-rank Ancestor Realm experts, he stood out as a formidable powerhouse. Having survived over a thousand life-and-death arena bouts, his combat experience was boundless. When it came to mortal struggle and overcoming the strong as the weak, Ancestor Juding knew the craft better than anyone. Even against a top-tier Ancestor Realm opponent, he was confident he could put up a fierce fight!
"Very well," Lu Changsheng nodded.
He would never underestimate the Giant Spirit race. He knew full well that among the four great Immortal Daos, the Physical Immortal Dao was the undisputed champion in raw combat prowess! Long ago, the Giant Spirit Ancestor had been so terrifying that even Liu Yun, a Mortal Immortal, was forced to temporarily yield ground before him.
Ancestor Juding was already at the high-rank Ancestor Realm, merely a step away from the top tier. With his dreadful Giant Spirit strength, he truly might possess the power to contend with a top-tier Ancestor Realm expert.
"Giant Spirit Sky Cleaving!"
Ancestor Juding wasted not a single moment. An explosion of colossal might erupted from his body as he unleashed the Giant Spirit race's most fearsome strike. Pushing his strength to its absolute pinnacle, his terrifying aura locked onto Lu Changsheng. Juding raised both hands as though preparing to rip heaven and earth asunder.
*What a formidable Ancestor Juding!*
*He truly lives up to being the final hope of the Giant Spirit race.*
A glint stirred in Lu Changsheng's eyes. Ancestor Juding actually made him feel a faint trace of threat—even though Juding's realm was slightly lower than his own. This alone spoke volumes of how fearsome the combat strength of the Physical Immortal Dao was.
*Boom!*
Lu Changsheng hesitated no longer. In an instant, the Myriad Spirits Immortal Body surged forth. The aura of the immortal body soared into the sky, fully matching any top-tier Ancestor Realm presence. The moment this terrifying aura washed out, it immediately suppressed Ancestor Juding.
Then, Lu Changsheng extended a single palm and pressed it downward with an easy motion.
*Rumble!*
It felt as though heaven and earth had inverted. In that fraction of an instant, Ancestor Juding felt the entire world bearing down to crush him. He roared and thrust both hands upward in a Heaven-Upholding stance, attempting to brace against the crushing force.
Alas, it was futile.
The crushing weight of the world was, in truth, Lu Changsheng's palm descending with unstoppable majesty straight onto Ancestor Juding's body.
*Boom! Boom!*
Ancestor Juding shuddered violently, and his physical body instantly collapsed into ruin. The clash between them had been decided in a single move.
Ancestor Juding had clearly been defeated!
Lu Changsheng withdrew his hand. Although Ancestor Juding's body had collapsed, he belonged to the Giant Spirit race and possessed an exceptionally resilient physique. As long as his flesh was not entirely obliterated, it could regenerate. Furthermore, this was merely a spar, not a life-and-death battle, so Lu Changsheng had made no attempt to annihilate Juding's physical form.
Before long, Ancestor Juding's body restored itself to wholeness.
His eyes shone with pleasant shock, and he nodded. "You truly possess top-tier Ancestor Realm power. Moreover, Fellow Daoist Dengtian, the aura lingering on your body feels somewhat familiar in my bloodline memories. Could it be... an immortal body?"
Lu Changsheng was slightly surprised. Ancestor Juding actually recognized the immortal body? However, Juding had just mentioned bloodline memories. If this knowledge was part of the heritage left behind through the Giant Spirit Ancestor's bloodline, it made complete sense. What didn't the Giant Spirit Ancestor know? Recognizing an immortal body was only natural.
"Indeed, it is an immortal body," Lu Changsheng nodded.
"Since you already possess an immortal body, why do you still need my race's method of achieving the Dao through the physical body?" By this, Ancestor Juding was referring to the Physical Immortal Dao, merely using different phrasing.
Lu Changsheng smiled faintly as the aura of the Mortal Immortal Dao drifted from his person. "Then take another look, Fellow Daoist Juding. What is this?"
Ancestor Juding sensed it carefully, and his heart jolted in astonishment. "This is... the Mortal Immortal Dao..."
Shock rippled through him.
The Mortal Immortal Dao! Combined with the immortal body aura Lu Changsheng had displayed earlier, didn't that mean Lu Changsheng was already cultivating two separate Immortal Daos? What was he trying to do? He already practiced two paths, yet now he wanted the Physical Immortal Dao as well? Did he intend to walk three Immortal Daos simultaneously?
This was sheer madness—utterly inconceivable.
Everyone dreamed of attaining the Immortal Realm, but more paths did not mean better prospects. It was a matter of finite time and energy. Even for supreme prodigies, walking a single Immortal Dao was fraught with immense difficulty, with perhaps not even one chance in ten thousand of success. To tread three paths at once was virtually guaranteed to end in fruitless ruin.
Ancestor Juding opened his mouth to speak, but in the end, he held his tongue.
The three returned to Ancestor Juding's courtyard.
Taking a deep breath, Ancestor Juding spoke slowly. "Since Fellow Daoist Dengtian has chosen to cultivate three Immortal Daos at once, it must be a well-considered decision. I shall say no more to dissuade you. As for the Physical Immortal Dao you desire..."
Ancestor Juding extended his hand.
*Buzz.*
A drop of blood essence appeared in his palm.
"Everything concerning the Physical Immortal Dao can only be grasped intuitively; it cannot be conveyed through words. What I know comes entirely from the inheritance carried within my Giant Spirit bloodline. By refining this drop of blood essence, you should be able to perceive the knowledge held within."
Lu Changsheng's eyes brightened. Giant Spirit blood essence once again. He had refined a drop long ago—and that one had been the blood essence of the Giant Spirit Ancestor himself. Now, he held a drop belonging to Ancestor Juding. Without standing on ceremony, Lu Changsheng accepted the blood essence into his palm.
"Refine!"
He made no effort to avoid Ancestor Juding or Martial Ancestor Gufu, immediately beginning to refine the drop of Giant Spirit blood essence where he sat.
Back when Lu Changsheng refined the Giant Spirit Ancestor's blood essence, it had cost him enormous effort and a great deal of time. But the present was nothing like the past. He was a different man now, having embarked upon the path of the Mortal Immortal Dao. Furthermore, Ancestor Juding was far from comparable to the Giant Spirit Ancestor.
Lu Changsheng immediately initiated analysis. The analytical capability of the Mortal Immortal Dao was astonishing. In merely an hour, his analysis was complete. His progress along the Mortal Immortal Dao advanced by a tiny fraction—though gaining even a full ten percent remained exceedingly difficult.
Having analyzed the Giant Spirit blood essence, Lu Changsheng smoothly refined it. As the blood essence assimilated into him, unfamiliar memories began to surface in his mind.
*Boom!*
Scenes and fragments of information coalesced within his consciousness, accompanied once more by the towering figure of the Giant Spirit Ancestor. The Giant Spirit Ancestor began expounding upon the facets of the Physical Immortal Dao, particularly how it intertwined with the Giant Spirit bloodline to pave an entry onto the path.
After sorting through the memories, realization struck Lu Changsheng. He finally understood the Physical Immortal Dao!
For the Giant Spirit race, the Physical Immortal Dao was actually straightforward—almost effortless. Once a member of the Giant Spirit race reached the Ancestor Realm, they automatically stepped onto the Physical Immortal Dao. The reason was simple: the Giant Spirit bloodline inside them inherently carried the Physical Immortal Dao! If a Giant Spirit wished *not* to tread that path, it was equally simple—they only had to forgo cultivating their bloodline. But wouldn't that be putting the cart before the horse? To abandon their gifted Giant Spirit bloodline to pursue the Mortal Immortal Dao or an immortal body would be an arduous, thankless task.
The Giant Spirit bloodline was the Giant Spirit Ancestor's greatest blessing to his kin!
Lu Changsheng opened his eyes.
"The Giant Spirit bloodline..." he murmured under his breath.
He had essentially pieced together the essence of the Physical Immortal Dao. It followed the path of attaining the Dao through sheer power—to break all methods with pure force. The physical body was the foundation of everything. In contrast, comprehending heaven, earth, and nature, or absorbing immortal spirit qi, mattered very little.
Yet achieving the Dao through the body was extraordinarily hard. After all, every flesh-and-blood being possessed natural limits. In the beginning, the martial path of the Immortal Martial World had also taken the physical body as its core. But what happened later? It gradually shifted toward comprehending rules.
Why had it unfolded that way? The reason was simple: tempering the flesh was simply too difficult. Once the body reached a certain stage, it hit a bottleneck, making endless improvement impossible. If it were truly that easy, the entire Boundary Sea would be teeming with races dedicated solely to tempering the flesh. In reality, races that focused exclusively on the body were exceedingly scarce. To stubbornly forge ahead on that path alone almost certainly precluded the birth of an Ancestor Realm expert; in fact, even reaching the Limit Realm was unlikely.
The Giant Spirit race had it easy because of their bloodline, which possessed an exceptionally high ceiling. All they needed to do was continuously unearth the power within their blood to attain the Ancestor Realm and subsequently step onto the Physical Immortal Dao.
Others, however, were entirely different. For someone like Lu Changsheng, or ordinary martial artists of the Immortal Martial World, stepping onto the Physical Immortal Dao was monstrously difficult—almost impossible.
*Back then, the Giant Spirit Ancestor must have gone through countless fortuitous encounters and unimaginable hardships before finally stepping onto the Physical Immortal Dao and attaining the Immortal Realm. But that journey cannot be replicated. As a rule, those who walk the Physical Immortal Dao are divine beasts, immortal beasts, spirit beasts, and the like—creatures naturally born with immense physical might. For those born with frail bodies, like humans or ordinary ants, no matter how hard an ant trains, how could it ever rival an elephant? That is an innate disadvantage...*
Thoughts flashed through Lu Changsheng's mind one after another.
Even though the Physical Immortal Dao was notoriously difficult, to the point where even crossing the threshold seemed impossible, Lu Changsheng had no intention of giving up. The Giant Spirit Ancestor had also begun with a frail mortal body. If the Giant Spirit Ancestor could succeed, there was no reason Lu Changsheng could not. If anything, Lu Changsheng possessed far better conditions now.
*In fact, I already have a foundation for the Physical Immortal Dao. My Flesh Martial Dao has already reached octonary growth. This direction should be correct. It is simply that after octonary growth, deducing further stages became exceptionally difficult. But if I can push it to nonary growth, denary growth, and beyond, stepping onto the Physical Immortal Dao is not impossible. What's more, I have the analytical power of the Mortal Immortal Dao. I can analyze the blood essence of the Giant Spirit race to unravel the mysteries of the Physical Immortal Dao... If all else fails, I can spend comprehension points to deduce it. I refuse to believe I cannot deduce a nonary or denary growth, or even higher...*
Lu Changsheng remained full of confidence—a confidence rooted in his own comprehension and the analytical prowess of the Mortal Immortal Dao. A Mortal Immortal comprehended the world and could analyze myriad things; this was the process of their Dao comprehension. The more they comprehended, the swifter their progress along the Mortal Immortal Dao.
However, if Lu Changsheng wished to force his way onto the Physical Immortal Dao, he still required Ancestor Juding's cooperation. Having more Giant Spirits would be ideal. Thus, resettling the Giant Spirit race in the Immortal Martial World became an absolute necessity. Furthermore, their presence would enrich the heritage of the Immortal Martial World. In time, the Giant Spirit race would become an integral part of it!
At this thought, a faint smile surfaced on Lu Changsheng's face.
"Fellow Daoist Dengtian, did you gain anything?" Ancestor Juding asked.
"A great deal," Lu Changsheng replied.
Ancestor Juding was somewhat startled. From just one drop of blood essence, he had gained a great deal? Yet Juding understood the Physical Immortal Dao well. For races born with frail physiques, walking this path was practically an impossibility. Lu Changsheng lacked the Giant Spirit bloodline, so how could he possibly walk it? Still, that was none of Juding's concern; so long as Lu Changsheng was satisfied, that was enough.
"Fellow Daoist Juding, you may now gather your kin to journey to the Immortal Martial World. I forgot to ask—do you still have other kin?" Lu Changsheng asked.
This question seemed to strike a sore spot. Ancestor Juding sighed heavily. "Over the years, I have indeed been searching for my people, and I managed to track down some of them here and there. I will need time to summon them. Would you be willing to wait for a while?"
Lu Changsheng nodded. "No matter. We can wait patiently in the City in the Sky."
Lu Changsheng was in no rush; waiting made no difference to him. Thus, he and Martial Ancestor Gufu temporarily took up lodging in the City in the Sky, awaiting the day Ancestor Juding finished gathering the Giant Spirit survivors.
Lu Changsheng seized this opportunity to focus on deducing his Flesh Martial Dao.
Day after day passed. Leveraging his extraordinary comprehension and the analytical capabilities of the Mortal Immortal Dao, Lu Changsheng steadily pushed forward the deduction of his Flesh Martial Dao. He had no intention of spending comprehension points just yet, as there was no need. With the analytical ability of the Mortal Immortal Dao, it was only a matter of time before he deduced past octonary growth.
As time went on, Lu Changsheng genuinely began to uncover a viable direction.
*The path of the Flesh Martial Dao involves absorbing the essence of external things to nourish oneself. The concept is sound and the ambition grand, but in practice, it is exceedingly hard to walk. Even my flesh has its limits. The reason I was able to forge the foundation of an immortal body was thanks to those divine items—it was the work of the items themselves, not my flesh avatars. In essence, my flesh avatars never underwent a fundamental leap. But while others cannot do this, I am different. I can analyze any powerful bloodline and refine it—such as the remnant bloodlines of divine beasts. I can analyze first, then refine. While it takes time, it will genuinely reinforce my frail fleshly foundation, steadily empowering my body until I embark upon the Physical Immortal Dao!*
Clarity gradually settled over Lu Changsheng's mind. Who said three Immortal Daos could not be cultivated at once? In truth, they could complement one another. The Mortal Immortal Dao in particular could aid the cultivation of the other two paths. It was simply that doing so demanded tremendous time and energy, making it generally unwise. Yet because Lu Changsheng could not be certain which path would ultimately carry him into the Immortal Realm, walking all three simultaneously remained his best choice.
Having formed a clear plan, his first thought naturally went back to the Giant Spirit bloodline. He requested another drop of blood essence from Ancestor Juding. This time, Lu Changsheng analyzed it from a different angle: focusing on how it could enhance his own flesh. The analysis proved a success, and he moved on to refining it.
The result was seamless. His physical body, which had long hit a plateau, advanced once again. Though the improvement was subtle, it proved that his logic was sound and his direction correct!
Lu Changsheng also recognized that relying solely on Ancestor Juding's blood essence would not suffice. He could hardly demand that Ancestor Juding bleed for him every single day; doing so would only make Juding suspicious of his intentions toward the Giant Spirit race. Moreover, relying on a single type of Giant Spirit blood essence offered diminishing returns for his body. He needed large quantities of other, even more formidable bloodlines.
Across the vast Boundary Sea, beings whose physical bodies rivaled the Ancestor Realm were certainly not limited to the Giant Spirit race.
Lu Changsheng returned to the Spirit Trapper Chamber of Commerce. This time, a different woman received him.
Lu Changsheng cut straight to the point: "Does your Spirit Trapper Chamber of Commerce have any living beings with exceptionally powerful bodies? Spirit beasts or divine beasts are both fine, but the prerequisite is that their physical strength must be immense—at least on par with the Ancestor Realm!"
Lu Changsheng's words sent a surge of delight through the woman's heart. A major transaction! Anyone walking in and asking directly for Ancestor Realm creatures was guaranteed to be a big client. Normally, the Spirit Trapper Chamber of Commerce avoided capturing races that possessed Ancestor Realm experts, but there were always exceptions.
"Distinguished guest, please enter our VIP room to discuss the details."
Lu Changsheng followed her inside. Before long, she brought over an Ancestor Realm expert from the chamber.
The man smiled and said, "I am a deacon of the Spirit Trapper Chamber of Commerce. I heard our esteemed guest requires an Ancestor Realm creature, specifically one with a formidable physical body?"
"Correct. It must possess a physical body comparable to the Ancestor Realm."
As long as the physical body rivaled the Ancestor Realm, it met his criteria. Naturally, even if a creature's physical strength reached that level, it did not necessarily mean they walked the Physical Immortal Dao. The Giant Spirit race was an anomaly; blessed with their unique bloodline, reaching the Ancestor Realm automatically set them on that path. For other races without such an extraordinary lineage, even if their flesh reached the Ancestor Realm, stepping onto the Physical Immortal Dao remained exceedingly difficult—almost impossible.
"Creatures whose physical bodies rival the Ancestor Realm are quite rare, but not nonexistent. For example, our chamber once captured a Gaia divine beast. This Gaia divine beast is truly extraordinary; it served as the guardian beast of a world, absorbing the faith of that realm. Yet it channeled that faith entirely into tempering its flesh, honing its body to a level comparable to the Ancestor Realm. Because it is a solitary beast rather than part of an entire race, our chamber managed to suppress it. However, due to its steep price, no buyer has purchased it to this day. Would you be interested in buying it?"
Lu Changsheng's interest was piqued. The chamber truly possessed a creature with Ancestor Realm physical strength? A Gaia divine beast... This was the first time he had heard of such a thing.
"I would like to see this Gaia divine beast in person," Lu Changsheng said.
"Of course."
The chamber's people led Lu Changsheng deep into the establishment, where he finally laid eyes on the suppressed Gaia divine beast. Terrifying surges of power radiated from its frame, and its physical body was extraordinarily robust. It was indeed a physique comparable to the Ancestor Realm.
"Not bad. It is indeed immensely powerful and fits my requirements. How much does this Gaia divine beast cost?" Lu Changsheng asked, genuinely tempted.
The Ancestor Realm deacon beamed so broadly his face resembled a blossoming flower. He said with great warmth, "Capturing this Gaia divine beast cost our chamber an immense price. We even had to enlist a top-tier Ancestor Realm expert to suppress it in one fell swoop. Therefore, the price is..."
"How much, exactly?"
"One hundred immortal crystals!"
"..."
Lu Changsheng fell silent. He looked deeply at the deacon, whose smile now seemed rather strained.
Lu Changsheng had always considered himself wealthy, yet even a single immortal crystal was enough to render him speechless. In the Boundary Sea, the standard currencies were spirit stones and spirit crystals, but that applied only to ordinary goods. Many truly precious treasures could only be purchased with immortal crystals. One hundred spirit stones could be exchanged for one spirit crystal, but it took ten thousand spirit crystals to trade for a single immortal crystal. One hundred immortal crystals meant a staggering one million spirit crystals. Where was Lu Changsheng supposed to find that many spirit crystals? Even if he liquidated his various treasures, gathering such an amount was virtually impossible. He could hardly sell his underwater manor...
A heavy silence descended over the room.
After a long pause, Lu Changsheng spoke slowly. "I have an idea, though I do not know if it is feasible."
"Please, speak your mind, esteemed guest," the deacon replied, maintaining his smile.
"I don't actually need to buy the entire Gaia divine beast. I only require certain materials from it for my research—specifically, its blood essence. How about this: could your chamber sell me its blood essence? I can offer one spirit crystal for every three drops!" Lu Changsheng suggested.
"Uh..." The deacon's expression froze.
Selling the beast off piece by piece? While the Spirit Trapper Chamber of Commerce took on all kinds of business under the principle that the customer came first, disassembling such a rare, whole beast for piecemeal sales was somewhat bizarre. It was certainly beyond his authority to decide.
In the end, the deacon said hesitantly, "Please wait a moment, esteemed guest. I must consult with the chamber's elders."
"Very well."
Lu Changsheng waited quietly. About fifteen minutes later, the deacon returned, his face once again covered in smiles. "The elders have agreed. Three drops of the Gaia divine beast's blood essence for one spirit crystal."
The reason the chamber agreed was simple: it offered pure profit with zero downside. The chamber lost nothing permanent; after a period of rest and nourishment, the beast's lost blood essence would regenerate naturally. It was essentially free spirit crystals. Moreover, if the results were good, Lu Changsheng would likely return for more, providing a steady stream of revenue—at least three to five, or perhaps even ten spirit crystals.
"Good. I will take six drops first." Lu Changsheng produced two spirit crystals, intending to test the efficacy first.
Before long, Lu Changsheng returned to his rented cave dwelling carrying six drops of the Gaia divine beast's blood essence. This was a brand-new bloodline, distinct from that of the Giant Spirits, and he was eager to see whether his deduced method would work.
Lu Changsheng began his analysis, thoroughly dissecting the blood essence before attempting to refine it.
Time slipped by, and two months passed in a flash.
Lu Changsheng opened his eyes. Over the course of two months, he had completely analyzed and refined all six drops of the Gaia divine beast's blood essence. And the result... was remarkably good!
His physical body had undergone a significant enhancement. This outcome bolstered Lu Changsheng's confidence completely, confirming that the physical cultivation path he had deduced was entirely correct. However, after five drops, the efficacy of the Gaia divine beast's blood essence began to wane; beyond ten drops, the effect would likely weaken even further. Yet that did not matter. If not the Gaia divine beast, there were other divine beasts, or other beings whose flesh matched the Ancestor Realm. The direction was what mattered most. As long as he had the right path, he could take his time searching for suitable Ancestor Realm physiques in the future.
Lu Changsheng rose and exited his seclusion. Waiting outside was Martial Ancestor Gufu. Upon seeing Lu Changsheng emerge, Gufu hurried forward and said, "Fellow Daoist Dengtian, Fellow Daoist Juding is ready on his end. We can depart at any time."
"He is ready? How many Giant Spirits did he manage to gather?" Lu Changsheng asked.
"Well... not many. Only thirty to fifty individuals."
Lu Changsheng pondered for a moment. Thirty to fifty was indeed a meager sum. With so few, sustaining and reproducing the race would be a challenge in itself. He wondered whether the Giant Spirit race could intermarry with humans or other beings of the Immortal Martial World—that remained an open question.
Lu Changsheng met with Ancestor Juding, beside whom stood thirty to fifty Giant Spirits. Remarkably, every single one of them was at the Limit Realm! Of course, those below the Limit Realm had likely failed to survive this long. Judging by Juding's weary demeanor, gathering these survivors had clearly cost him immense effort. Many had still been slaves, requiring Juding to buy their freedom.
"This is Fellow Daoist Dengtian," Juding introduced.
"Greetings, Ancestor Dengtian!" The Giant Spirits bowed respectfully to Lu Changsheng.
After a moment's thought, Lu Changsheng made a quick trip back to the Spirit Trapper Chamber of Commerce to purchase fifteen more drops of the Gaia divine beast's blood essence. Even if the effects tapered off after ten drops, there would still be some benefit, and fifteen drops would suffice for now.
"All right, we can set out."
Lu Changsheng, Ancestor Juding, and the rest departed the City in the Sky, making their way back toward the Immortal Martial Palace.
Yet for some reason, Lu Changsheng felt a faint, lingering sensation of being watched. The scrutiny was extremely well concealed, so much so that even he could not pinpoint its origin.
*An illusion? Or has someone set their sights on us?*
Lu Changsheng was a Mortal Immortal; his intuition was rarely mistaken. His eyes narrowed slightly as thoughts churned within his mind. Rather than raising an alarm, he boarded Martial Ancestor Gufu's flying boat alongside Ancestor Juding and the others, speeding deep into the Boundary Sea.
While his underwater manor would have been safer, Lu Changsheng did not yet fully trust Ancestor Juding, and naturally would not invite them inside.
Shortly after their departure, several shadowy figures gazed in the direction they had vanished.
"Juding has left."
"It wasn't convenient to make a move within the City in the Sky, but out in the Boundary Sea, there are no restraints."
"Juding is not weak, and those two Ancestor Realm companions of his don't look like easy targets either. If we act rashly, I fear..."
"Rest assured, Ancestor Luosheng will take action personally this time. Nothing will go wrong."
"With Ancestor Luosheng stepping in, my mind is at ease..."
The voices faded away, leaving the void as quiet as if no one had ever spoken.
Chapter 354