Lu Changsheng had long known the sheer potency of the divine ability Devour Spirit, which was why he had been so confident. Seeing the terrifying immortal beast swallowed by the technique, he let out a breath of relief.
Yet when he focused his senses, he found that after Devour Spirit swallowed the beast, the technique ground to a stalemate.
The divine ability was unable to completely crush the creature.
It was like a great serpent that had swallowed an elephant—choking on it, entirely incapable of digesting its meal.
Lu Changsheng faced the exact same predicament. His Devour Spirit could not fully consume the beast.
Frowning, Lu Changsheng had no choice but to spit the immortal beast back out.
He had already deployed two of his divine abilities, Devour Spirit and Mighty Power, yet neither had managed to subdue the creature, which spoke volumes about its horrifying resilience. Even when backed by the fusion of his three immortal bodies, he still could not overcome it. Its strength was truly mind-boggling.
It was truly worthy of being called a primeval immortal beast—far from ordinary.
"*Roar...*"
However, Lu Changsheng's two divine abilities had thoroughly enraged the beast. It had no intention of letting the matter drop.
With a furious roar, the creature seemed to unleash an innate divine ability of its own.
*Rumble!*
Lightning materialized out of nowhere in the void. Thick bolts crashed straight down, slamming violently into Lu Changsheng.
"Controlling lightning?"
Lu Changsheng was astonished. He had never imagined this primeval immortal beast possessed mastery over lightning.
The descending lightning was truly staggering, blanketing the sky in dense barrages as it struck toward him.
Lu Changsheng drew a deep breath and threw a direct punch.
*Boom!*
Pure, mighty power collided with the thunderbolts.
Faint arcs of electricity seeped into his body, momentarily stiffening his limbs, but that was all.
While the lightning was indeed formidable, Lu Changsheng's physical body was equally formidable. The lightning could not harm him in the slightest. Despite the barrage crashing down upon him, he sustained no damage at all.
The two sides were locked in an impasse.
The primeval immortal beast was terrifying, and Lu Changsheng could not put it down; yet Lu Changsheng was equally resilient, and the beast could do nothing to him either.
*No, not necessarily.*
*This primeval immortal beast has an extraordinarily tough physical body and terrifying divine abilities. Mighty Power and Devour Spirit can't overcome it. But what about its spirit? With such a powerful physique, its spirit can't possibly be just as formidable, can it?*
*I still have one more divine ability...*
Lu Changsheng decided to make one final attempt.
He possessed three great divine abilities, each with its own focus. The Illusory Realm, for example, was aimed specifically at the spirit and consciousness. If an opponent could not withstand it, their spirit and consciousness would be suppressed within the Illusory Realm, trapped forever.
With that thought, Lu Changsheng hesitated no longer.
"Divine ability, Illusory Realm!"
Instantly, the Illusory Realm descended.
It was entirely different from before. In the past, Lu Changsheng's Illusory Realm had been vast, empty, and devoid of structure. But now, as it descended, three layers of space unfolded within it—an exact mimicry of the three layers of the Tianyuan Ancient Immortal Battlefield. Furthermore, within the Illusory Realm, Lu Changsheng held absolute dominion over everything.
*Rumble!*
As the Illusory Realm descended, the three layers of space bore down together. The primeval immortal beast's consciousness was swept into the realm at once.
Sensing danger, the primeval immortal beast roared toward the sky, thrashing in an attempt to break free. Yet no matter how it roared or what divine abilities it unleashed, all was in vain. Inside the Illusory Realm, it had only its consciousness to rely on.
Its consciousness was by no means weak, but it was merely on par with an ordinary True Immortal's. Suppressed by Lu Changsheng's Illusory Realm, how could it possibly break free?
"It worked!"
A smile appeared on Lu Changsheng's face.
The Illusory Realm had actually taken effect, suppressing the beast's consciousness in one fell swoop. The creature was now completely reduced to a sitting target, entirely at his mercy.
"Annihilation Divine Eye!"
Lu Changsheng activated the Annihilation Divine Eye, which possessed the power to pierce through and disintegrate anything. Now that the primeval immortal beast could not resist, Lu Changsheng attacked at will.
The divine eye did take effect, but its impact was limited. It could only disintegrate a tiny portion of the beast's flesh, and the beast regenerated faster than the beam could annihilate it. It simply could not harm the core of the beast.
Lu Changsheng then unleashed Mighty Power and Devour Spirit in turn. Though they had yielded little result earlier, the beast was now a defenseless target. Under such conditions, it could not resist at all. Shouldn't it be an easy victory?
Yet after unleashing technique after technique, Lu Changsheng was forced to admit the truth: he could not destroy the primeval divine beast before him.
Its flesh was too durable. Even when left completely open to his barrages, it simply could not be killed. Such defense was utterly unheard of.
Yet it was reality. Even lying motionless, the primeval immortal beast was beyond Lu Changsheng's ability to slay.
This gave Lu Changsheng a familiar feeling. Hadn't it been the exact same situation when he faced the Heavenly Immortal corpse? Lying completely still, yet impervious to anything he did.
*Formidable!*
*The primeval immortal beast clearly hasn't reached the Heavenly Immortal tier, yet the primeval bloodline it carries is terrifying. Its body is practically on the verge of immortality. Even if it lacks the immortal characteristic, its regenerative power and defense are scarcely different from an immortal physique...*
Lu Changsheng marveled inwardly.
This primeval immortal beast was truly troublesome. He had suppressed its consciousness, yet he could do nothing to its flesh.
Was he supposed to just give up?
The Illusory Realm was a divine ability, and maintaining it consumed his energy. He could not sustain it indefinitely. Once his limit was reached, he would have to retract the ability. When that happened, the beast's consciousness would recover, and he still would not be able to relocate the immortal vein.
*I have to find a way to subdue it.*
*The ideal solution would be to kill it, but its body is too strong. Slaying it is out of the question. Its consciousness is its weak point. Could I start from its consciousness and try to tame it?*
Lu Changsheng's eyes lit up.
He seemed to have found a way.
*If I can work through the Illusory Realm and subjugate its consciousness there, it would be equivalent to completely taming the beast.*
*Once tamed and placed in my Dao field, wouldn't it become the field's guardian immortal beast?*
*They say powerful Dao fields all have guardian immortal beasts. Given this primeval immortal beast's current strength, in some respects it isn't inferior to a beast of the Heavenly Immortal tier...*
Lu Changsheng's heart grew fervent.
This was an excellent plan.
A guardian immortal beast—and such an extraordinarily powerful one at that. If he could truly tame it, he could leave the Dao field without worrying in the future, even if he was not present to guard it personally.
Aside from its consciousness, this primeval immortal beast was fully comparable to an immortal beast of the Heavenly Immortal realm.
Such was the terrifying might of a primeval bloodline!
No sooner had the thought arisen than he prepared to act.
The Illusory Realm was truly a remarkable divine ability. Yet Lu Changsheng still had to consider how to tame the beast's consciousness. That would likely not be easy either.
Still, since the Illusory Realm could suppress its consciousness, there was bound to be a way. He simply needed to put more effort into the Illusory Realm.
With that in mind, a plan formed in his head.
In truth, Lu Changsheng knew various techniques for mind control and illusion, but they would likely have little effect against this creature. He recalled certain beast-taming methods, which involved continually imprinting one's consciousness onto a spirit beast's mind until it was imperceptibly placed under control.
However, the beast before him was no mere spirit beast; it was an immortal beast. Its intellect was no different from an ordinary human's. Such methods would be useless.
In that case, his only option was to thoroughly break the beast's will through overwhelming force.
Without hesitation, Lu Changsheng drove the Illusory Realm.
"Suppress!"
Instantly, the crushing weight of the three spatial layers bore down upon the primeval immortal beast's consciousness. Furthermore, the three layers constantly ground away at its mind.
Although the grinding effect was not very efficient and progressed at an agonizingly slow pace, it plunged the beast into endless torment and crisis.
At this moment, Lu Changsheng conveyed his intent directly.
"If you submit, you shall be spared the agony of having your consciousness erased!"
Lu Changsheng's voice echoed in the beast's mind.
Yet all that responded was a furious roar.
"In your dreams..."
It was the voice of the primeval immortal beast.
It was capable of transmitting its consciousness—and even speaking. After all, as a dignified immortal beast, it was no different from a True Immortal.
"Heh."
"Then forgive me!"
Completely unmoved, Lu Changsheng continued to use the Illusory Realm to relentlessly grind down the beast's consciousness.
Day after day passed as Lu Changsheng continuously wore at its mind, yet with little tangible effect. It had to be said that the primeval immortal beast possessed tremendous willpower. Tormented to such an extent, it still refused to yield.
Clearly, the beast was holding out, gritting its teeth through the pain. It knew Lu Changsheng was sustaining a divine ability, which imposed a massive drain on his energy. Once Lu Changsheng could no longer endure the toll, it would break free—and might even find an opportunity to counterattack.
"Fall back."
Lu Changsheng truly could not sustain it any longer. Decisive as ever, he did not linger, immediately retreating far from the immortal vein.
The primeval immortal beast was triumphant. It had endured, while Lu Changsheng had faltered.
*Whoosh.*
Lu Changsheng reappeared inside a mountain cavern.
He had not left the Blood Marsh Mountain Range, nor had he strayed particularly far from the immortal vein; he had simply moved out of the beast's range of perception.
He had not given up. His departure was solely because continuing a battle of attrition was utterly pointless. As long as he found a method to overcome its consciousness, he could make a comeback and suppress and tame the beast in one fell swoop. Taking a step back for now changed nothing.
*My Illusory Realm can suppress the beast, but the crux of the problem is that it cannot thoroughly grind away its consciousness.*
*The Illusory Realm is a blank sheet of paper. Whatever I construct within it becomes an ability of the realm.*
*If I want to grind down a consciousness...*
Lu Changsheng had never encountered treasures or techniques specifically designed to grind away consciousness, but he thought of the divine ability Devour Spirit.
Devour Spirit could swallow an enemy's flesh and blood, thoroughly pulverizing it. Could he emulate Devour Spirit? Or rather, could he construct a mechanism similar to Devour Spirit within the Illusory Realm to grind down a consciousness?
Lu Changsheng felt this idea was far from whimsical; it was entirely feasible.
Acting upon the thought, he set to work at once.
He focused primarily on studying the pulverizing mechanism behind the Devour Spirit ability: crushing and swallowing. If he could replicate that process, he could crush, devour, and grind down a consciousness inside the Illusory Realm.
With his analytical ability, layer by layer, Lu Changsheng gradually constructed a technique within the Illusory Realm modeled after Devour Spirit.
A black hole!
Yes, a black hole—similar to an astronomical black hole, yet not entirely identical. Once swallowed by it, a consciousness would be ground away layer by layer within its depths.
As for how effective it would be, Lu Changsheng could not say for sure. He had merely imitated Devour Spirit. There was no need to test it on ordinary spirit beasts; he planned to head straight back to the immortal vein and confront the primeval immortal beast again.
In any case, the creature could not harm him. If it truly proved ineffective, he could simply withdraw once more. The beast posed zero threat to him.
With no further hesitation, Lu Changsheng rose and flew straight toward the beast's location.
*Whoosh.*
Lu Changsheng reappeared over the immortal vein.
The primeval immortal beast was still sprawled across the vein's core. However, it was not asleep; its domain remained active at all times.
"Hmph, you've returned," the beast said, speaking in human tongue.
It had always possessed the ability to speak, having merely disdained to do so before.
Lu Changsheng smiled faintly. "It seems you knew I would be back. But this time, you won't be so fortunate."
The beast flew into a rage.
"Die!"
Its domain instantly surged to its absolute peak. Terrifying pressure swept in from all directions, laced with monstrous lightning. It unleashed everything from the very first moment, intent on slaying Lu Changsheng. After all, it loathed him to the bone.
Lu Changsheng remained completely composed, having anticipated such a reaction. Without hesitation, he spurred the Dao Fruit within his body.
*Boom!*
The Illusory Realm descended once again.
The primeval immortal beast tasted that familiar agony once more. Looking out, it found itself enveloped in pitch-black space, imprisoned in the Illusory Realm yet again.
"Dammit..."
Enraged, the beast roared repeatedly, attempting to shatter Lu Changsheng's Illusory Realm. But it was an exercise in futility. Here inside the Illusory Realm, no amount of struggling would avail it.
"Hmph, you can't do anything to me either."
The primeval immortal beast gave up on thrashing and instead guarded its core intent closely. Clearly, it had gathered an inkling of how the Illusory Realm worked: as long as it guarded its mind, the opponent could not harm it, even if it was suppressed. At worst, it would be another battle of endurance, and it had no fear of waiting him out. Hadn't Lu Changsheng failed to outlast it last time? It would be no different this time.
Lu Changsheng offered no reaction.
Abandoning the struggle had been a wise choice on the beast's part, as struggling was futile. Guarding its mind was the far better option, and the beast had accomplished that much.
"Suppress!"
Lu Changsheng brought the three spatial layers crashing down, forcefully pinning the beast's consciousness. Yet it was merely a suppression; relying on the three layers alone was not enough to grind its mind away.
What followed was the crucial moment.
*Buzz.*
A colossal black hole materialized faintly within the Illusory Realm, radiating a horrifying gravitational pull.
"What is this?"
Seeing the immense black hole, a tremor of dread suddenly gripped the beast's heart. It instinctively sensed that this black hole was extraordinarily abnormal, seemingly harboring terrifying power. Even as a primeval immortal beast, it felt a deep pang of terror.
Lu Changsheng did not hesitate. Driving the black hole forward, he swallowed the beast's consciousness whole.
The black hole within his Illusory Realm was an imitation of Devour Spirit. Once swallowed into its depths, the beast's consciousness would be constantly ground down.
"*Aargh!*"
"What on earth is this?"
"My... my consciousness, why is it being erased?!"
Miserable shrieks echoed from the primeval immortal beast inside the black hole. Only Lu Changsheng could witness every movement of its consciousness. Trapped within the vortex, the creature was utterly helpless to resist.
A terrifying force within the black hole easily crushed its consciousness, progressively eroding it bit by bit.
Though the pace was slow, its mind was undeniably being erased piece by piece. Total destruction was merely a matter of time.
Once its consciousness was erased, it would be no different from dead.
Terror consumed the beast's heart. It had never imagined that a day would come when it might perish. In truth, it was still considered "young" among immortal beasts, with an unimaginably long life ahead of it. How could it die here and now?
Yet inside the black hole, it watched its own consciousness being worn away bit by bit. The loss of its consciousness began to affect its memories, causing fragments to vanish. With time, the memory loss would only grow more severe. Once its consciousness was entirely ground away, it would cease to exist. Even if its physical shell remained, what would be the point? It would no longer be itself.
At this moment, the primeval immortal beast finally knew true fear. It sensed the cold breath of impending doom.
If this continued, it would die!
Regret flooded the beast. Why had it insisted on dragging out a war of attrition with Lu Changsheng? It could have simply fled. Immortal veins were abundant in the Blood Marsh Mountain Range; it could easily have found another.
Alas, there was no medicine for regret. It was already trapped in a desperate plight. The immortal before it possessed both the means and the power to slay it.
It was defeated—utterly and thoroughly!
And it did not want to die.
"Mercy! High Immortal, have mercy!"
"This humble beast is willing to submit..."
The primeval immortal beast pleaded for its life without hesitation.
A hundredth of its consciousness had already been ground away. That might have seemed minor, but the more consciousness it lost, the faster the erosion would proceed. Even with only one percent gone, it had already lost many memories. It had no choice but to yield; only submission could preserve its life.
As for pride?
For an immortal beast, submitting to an immortal was hardly a disgrace. Countless immortal beasts had surrendered to immortals throughout history. How much face could a single beast have to protect? To an immortal beast, staying alive was the only thing that truly mattered.
"Oh?"
"You submit..."
Lu Changsheng paused slightly upon hearing the plea. It seemed the creature had surrendered a little too quickly. He had expected to go through a few more twists and turns, perhaps dragging it out a while longer, but the beast had yielded with startling haste.
Nevertheless, under the current circumstances, it would not have mattered even if the beast had refused to yield, as Lu Changsheng was fully capable of destroying its consciousness. Still, having a primeval immortal beast submit to serve as a guardian beast for his Dao field was of immense value.
"Release!"
Without hesitation, Lu Changsheng retracted the Illusory Realm. The technique vanished, and the primeval immortal beast regained its freedom.
Gasping for breath, the beast dared not make the slightest sudden move.
Immortal beasts were unlike humans. Humans might renege on their word or turn traitor, but immortal beasts would not. Once an immortal beast chose to submit, it would rarely betray its master. That was precisely why so many immortals longed to tame one. Of course, getting an immortal beast to submit was exceptionally difficult, as many would rather die than yield.
This primeval immortal beast, however, was evidently not that stubborn. Or rather, the prospect of having its consciousness erased had terrified it so deeply that it dared not contend with Lu Changsheng any further, prompting its prompt surrender.
"This humble beast pays respects to the Master."
The beast bowed respectfully before Lu Changsheng. Having submitted completely, it naturally knew its place.
A glint flashed across Lu Changsheng's eyes. He nodded and asked, "Do you have a name?"
The primeval immortal beast thought for a moment before replying, "This humble beast is a descendant of the Primeval Thunder Beast, carrying its bloodline. Thus, I call myself Leiji."
"A good name. Leiji..."
Lu Changsheng nodded. He proceeded to question Leiji on various matters, inquiring in great detail about this immortal vein in particular.
He learned that although this was currently only a large immortal vein, it possessed the capacity to grow. Any immortal vein capable of growth would eventually become a super-large immortal vein.
This left Lu Changsheng overjoyed.
A super-large immortal vein, capable of growth!
Once relocated to his Dao field and nurtured as the field was established, its potential would be limitless.
This was truly an unexpected boon.
Thus, Lu Changsheng instructed Leiji to wait there. He then made a return trip to Lu City, brought back the relocation array, and returned once more to the Blood Marsh Mountain Range.
The round trip took half a year, yet Lu Changsheng remained thoroughly patient. After all, this concerned the foundation of his Dao field.
Moreover, in the area designated for the Dao field, the Qi clan had already completed their preparations, transporting massive amounts of supplies to the demarcated zone, which lay between the Blood Marsh Mountain Range and Lu City.
Lu Changsheng spent several more months in preparation before finally deciding to commence the relocation of the immortal vein.
In the Blood Marsh Mountain Range, Lu Changsheng finished laying down the relocation array. The primeval immortal beast, Leiji, crouched obediently nearby, acting as his protector and clearing away any potential trouble in the surrounding area.
With Leiji's aura permeating the area, no spirit beast or immortal beast dared to cause disruptions. Consequently, the process of setting up the relocation array went smoothly. Even so, it had taken several months to get everything properly in place.
"That should do it."
Lu Changsheng looked at the immortal array laid out before him, which encompassed the entire immortal vein.
Fortunately, the vein was only a large immortal vein for now, having not yet grown into a super-large one; thus, this array was sufficient. Had it been a super-large immortal vein, this array would not have sufficed, and he would have needed to expand it further, which would have cost who knew how much more time.
Even so, Lu Changsheng proceeded with utmost care, terrified of damaging the vein. Because it was a growing vein, he had to exercise extreme caution and could not afford the slightest recklessness. If he damaged its foundation and stunted its growth, the loss would far outweigh the gain.
Once everything was fully prepared, Lu Changsheng hesitated no longer.
"Rise!"
Instantly, the immortal array blazed with dazzling radiance. A monstrous surge of immortal spirit qi swept in from all directions, funneling into the array and erupting with terrifying force.
*Rumble!*
The earth shook and the mountains trembled in an earth-shattering display. As the array activated, fissures spiderwebbed across the ground. The large immortal vein was uprooted almost entirely, yet it was pulled up completely intact, slowly detaching from the earth and coming to rest suspended in the void.
Everything was enveloped within the immortal array.
"Success!"
A faint smile appeared on Lu Changsheng's face. The immortal array had indeed succeeded, having uprooted the vein whole. Now came the task of escorting the immortal vein to the designated site of the Dao field, which would also take time.
"Leiji, let's go."
"Yes, Master."
Leiji roared toward the sky, revealing its colossal form. The aura of a primeval immortal beast radiated outward without reserve, an overwhelming wave that cowed many immortal beasts throughout the Blood Marsh Mountain Range.
With Leiji clearing the path ahead, Lu Changsheng controlled the immortal array and followed in the beast's wake, whistling away through the sky.
***
More than a thousand li from the Blood Marsh Mountain Range, there was an expansive area bustling with activity.
These people were all members of the Qi clan, every one of them hard at work transporting supplies. The supplies had largely all been delivered, and now they were waiting.
"Father, after waiting this long, shouldn't the Old Ancestor be arriving soon?" Qi Yutang could not resist asking.
This undertaking had consumed far too much manpower and resources. Practically all of the wealth accumulated by the Qi clan over countless years had been poured into this project. Not only their savings, but even borrowed funds had been expended. In short, whatever family fortune the Qi clan possessed had been poured entirely into this territory—or rather, into the Dao field that was about to be founded.
Whether this Dao field could be smoothly established was a matter of life and death for the Qi clan. The price they had paid was simply too steep. If the Dao field failed to be established, the Qi clan might not recover for decades or even centuries, suffering a devastating blow to their vitality.
Qi Guangmao and his son naturally knew that Lu Changsheng had ventured into the Blood Marsh Mountain Range. Supposedly, he had located a large immortal vein. Yet relocating a large immortal vein all the way here was no easy feat. If any complications arose, all their prior efforts would go down the drain.
For now, however, they could only pray for Lu Changsheng's success.
"*Roar...*"
Suddenly, an earth-shattering roar echoed from the distance. Its terrifying aura struck fear into their hearts.
"Is that... an immortal beast?"
Qi Guangmao's heart trembled.
He saw it—and not just him, but many members of the Qi clan saw it as well. A massive immortal beast, like a flying mountain, soared in from afar and circled above their heads.
The terrifying pressure instantly reduced everyone to dead silence. Some were even trembling from head to toe.
That was an immortal beast!
Yet weren't terrifying immortal beasts supposed to dwell deep within the Blood Marsh Mountain Range? Though this place bordered the range, it was still at least a thousand li away. From such a distance, why would an immortal beast have rushed out?
The Qi clan was finished. If an immortal beast went on a killing spree, everyone from the Qi clan here would die! Not a single person would be spared.
Yet as the terrifying beast circled above the Qi clan, it showed no sign of starting a slaughter. Instead, it spoke in human tongue.
"Are you all of the Qi clan?"
"Clear out of this area at once. The Master is almost here."
"Lest the earth shaking and mountains trembling harm you by mistake."
The beast's words left the Qi clan stunned.
"Master?"
"Could it be... the Old Ancestor?"
"Did the Old Ancestor tame an immortal beast as well?"
For a moment, they exchanged glances, their hearts filled with overwhelming shock.
Qi Guangmao, however, had guessed as much. Although he could not fathom how the Old Ancestor, upon attaining the True Immortal realm, seemed to soar toward the heavens—standing worlds apart from other immortals—they now had to obey the beast's command.
"Retreat!" Qi Guangmao ordered.
The Qi clan immediately pulled back.
Before long, the Qi clan members saw an immense mountain range suspended in the distant void. And atop that immortal vein stood Old Ancestor Lu, hands clasped behind his back, exuding a breathtaking majesty beyond imagination!
No matter what, Lu Changsheng had finally arrived!
Chapter 394