Lu Changsheng Returns to the Immortal Martial Palace! Dare I Ask, Fellow Daoist Lu, Have You Become an Immortal?

Silence. The void across the entire Boundary Sea fell deathly still, so quiet a dropping pin could be heard. Confronted with the sudden appearance of this unfamiliar immortal, both the Great Immortals of the All Immortals Alliance and the immortals of the Tianyan Dao Field held their breath, none daring to utter a word. Yet their silence did not mean they had truly vanished, nor did it mean Lu Changsheng was unaware of them. "Hmm?" Lu Changsheng was slightly startled. He had naturally noticed the three immortals in the void of the Boundary Sea, along with the numerous Ancestor Realm cultivators under their command. With just a single glance, he discerned that two opposing factions had been fighting. But his appearance had brought their struggle to a dead halt. Among the three immortals were two Great Immortals. Their identities were self-evident—they had undoubtedly descended from the Heaven Realm as Heaven Realm Upper Immortals. "Who are you?" Lu Changsheng asked, stepping steadily toward them. "We are immortals of the All Immortals Alliance," asked a Great Immortal of the alliance. "Which faction does Fellow Daoist hail from?" Anyone capable of locating a hidden descending passage was certainly not from some minor force. They had to be certain. After all, the All Immortals Alliance currently held unchallenged dominance in the Boundary Sea. If a formidable power had truly emerged, they would be enemies, and bloodshed would be inevitable. "The All Immortals Alliance?" A strange flicker passed through Lu Changsheng's eyes. He had naturally heard of the All Immortals Alliance. Even within the Heaven Realm, it was renowned. Founded by several veteran Heavenly Immortal Monarchs, it claimed to unite myriad immortals. Whether it truly possessed ten thousand immortals was something nobody could say for sure. Even if not ten thousand, there were at least several thousand, giving it immense authority and might. When Lu Changsheng had still been in the Boundary Sea, the All Immortals Alliance had not yet descended here. He had not expected them to have descended by now, and from the looks of it, with overwhelming dominance. Lu Changsheng did not answer. He wanted to understand the current situation in the Boundary Sea first, especially regarding the treasures left behind by that ancient Golden Immortal. That was of paramount importance. Before him stood two Great Immortals. Given their lofty status, they ought to know the true state of affairs in the Boundary Sea. "I have merely returned to my homeland..." Lu Changsheng said, extending a hand. Boom! The moment his hand reached out, the surrounding void seemed to shatter under its grasp. Everyone stared in despair at the void. In all directions, everything seemed confined by a single hand. What terrifying method was this? A True Immortal? A Great Immortal? No, neither a True Immortal nor a Great Immortal could achieve this! "Ah..." The three immortals never anticipated Lu Changsheng would act so decisively, attacking without warning. Of course, they did not cower either. As three dignified immortals—two of whom were Great Immortals—why would they fear an immortal who had just descended? Thus, all three unleashed their immortal treasures, attempting to confront Lu Changsheng. Yet the moment they struck, sheer shock seized them. Crack! Their immortal treasures shattered instantly. Lu Changsheng's palm descended like a truly heaven-upholding colossal palm, crushing their immortal treasures into pieces. These were immortal treasures! How could they be pulverized so casually by a bare hand? Yet they quickly understood. When Lu Changsheng's hand crushed their treasures, a wisp of the aura within his physical body leaked out. An aura of immortality! Yes, an immortal aura! Lu Changsheng now possessed physical immortality. This was the defining trait of a Heavenly Immortal. No matter how well he concealed it, once he took action, a trace was bound to leak out. Sensing the immortal aura radiating from Lu Changsheng, the eyes of the three immortals filled with profound shock, and they cried out in terror: "Physical immortality?" "You are a Heavenly Immortal Monarch?" Never in their wildest dreams could the three have imagined that Lu Changsheng was a Heavenly Immortal Monarch! Unfortunately, they could not withstand him; Lu Changsheng caught them directly within his palm. If he so wished, he could effortlessly crush all three immortals. This was an Immortal Monarch! The gulf between a Heavenly Immortal and a True Immortal was unfathomably vast. An ordinary True Immortal or Great Immortal, even relying on their Dao field, could not rival a Heavenly Immortal. Lu Changsheng could easily obliterate these three immortals with his Heavenly Immortal physique alone. Physical immortality! A Heavenly Immortal body was not merely indestructible; it also represented invincible physical power. "Y-You... As an Immortal Monarch, how could you disregard the Heavenly Immortal Pact and descend to the Boundary Sea? Are you not afraid of igniting a war among Immortal Monarchs?" one of the Great Immortals gritted his teeth and said. Against a Heavenly Immortal Monarch, resistance was impossible. It was utterly futile. Yet that did not mean they simply accepted this. There was a Heavenly Immortal Pact governing descents into the Boundary Sea. In doing this, Lu Changsheng was tearing up the Heavenly Immortal Pact, and the consequences would be dire! "The Heavenly Immortal Pact?" Lu Changsheng laughed. "I'm afraid I must disappoint you; I have signed no such pact. As for igniting a war among Immortal Monarchs? If the monarchs truly wish to battle, I shall keep them company! What is more, the Boundary Sea is my homeland, my world. You deserve death!" With that, Lu Changsheng lightly squeezed his hand. Squelch! The three immortals, along with the dozens of Ancestor Realm cultivators, were crushed into mist by Lu Changsheng's palm. Not a single one survived! This was a Heavenly Immortal. Before ordinary True Immortals and Great Immortals, a Heavenly Immortal was invincible! Lu Changsheng now had a rough grasp of the Boundary Sea's situation. The All Immortals Alliance was the dominant force here, yet other factions still remained. Those factions had not conceded defeat; they merely avoided clashing with the All Immortals Alliance due to its overwhelming power. As for why Heavenly Immortal Monarchs had not entered the Boundary Sea, it was likely because of the Heavenly Immortal Pact. The existence of this pact was actually an advantage for Lu Changsheng. Because he had never signed it, he could descend to the Boundary Sea without constraint. Here in the Boundary Sea, he was invincible! However, the only trouble was that the ancient Golden Immortal in the Boundary Sea still had not been found. It was as though he had vanished into thin air. Yet if an ancient Golden Immortal had truly perished in the Boundary Sea, there was no way there would be zero clues. It made no sense! No matter how much time had passed, some trace should remain. With so many True Immortals and Great Immortals searching, how could they find no leads at all? Lu Changsheng indeed found it strange. "No matter. Let me return to the Immortal Martial Palace first. I wonder how the palace is faring now?" Lu Changsheng still cared about the Immortal Martial Palace. Few things in the Boundary Sea weighed on his mind, but the Immortal Martial Palace was unquestionably first among them. After all, he had grown to prominence from within it. Whoosh. In the next instant, Lu Changsheng turned into a streak of light and vanished into the depths of the Boundary Sea. Lu Changsheng was gone, but his actions provoked an uproar within both the All Immortals Alliance and the Tianyan Dao Field. These immortals possessed special means; the moment one fell, their faction knew immediately. Two Great Immortals from the All Immortals Alliance and one True Immortal from the Tianyan Dao Field—all revered and powerful figures—had perished. For a time, tension flared between the two sides. After all, the All Immortals Alliance's two Great Immortals had been pursuing the Tianyan Dao Field's True Immortal. Now that the Tianyan Dao Field's True Immortal was dead, the blame naturally fell upon the All Immortals Alliance. At the same time, the All Immortals Alliance was seething with fury. Two of their Great Immortals had died! They even suspected the Tianyan Dao Field had hidden its true strength. The All Immortals Alliance and the Tianyan Dao Field traded accusations. Yet they were immortals, after all, with many ways to piece together what had transpired. Soon, the two factions held talks. They discovered that both sides' immortals had perished at virtually the same moment. Mutual destruction? That made no sense whatsoever. Furthermore, so many Ancestor Realm cultivators had also perished without a single survivor escaping. That made even less sense. The two factions could not help but suspect that a third party had intervened and wiped them both out. The likelihood was high. "Investigate!" "We must pursue this to the very end!" "When the snipe and the clam grapple, does the fisherman reap the spoils? Let us see which force dared seize the chaos to slaughter our Great Immortals!" "As long as they seek clues to the ancient Golden Immortal, they are bound to surface." Having suffered the heaviest loss, the All Immortals Alliance immediately launched an investigation throughout the entire Boundary Sea. Yet for the time being, their efforts were doomed to be in vain. Lu Changsheng had no time to concern himself with the All Immortals Alliance. He had already arrived at the Immortal Martial Palace. "This is the Immortal Martial Palace?" Looking upon the palace before him, Lu Changsheng felt somewhat surprised. The Immortal Martial Palace had not fallen into decline, nor was it dilapidated. On the contrary, it was flourishing. Though not wildly prosperous, the number of experts within the palace was steadily growing. Everything thrived. Apart from lacking an Immortal Realm powerhouse, all was well—even better than when Lu Changsheng had departed. It seemed the Immortal Martial Palace had been managed well. Access to the palace was open; Lu Changsheng reined in his aura and flew inside. ... Inside the grand hall of the Immortal Martial Palace, numerous Ancestor Realm cultivators wore faces clouded with gloom. Trouble had arrived. This time, the palace had truly run into trouble. More than one hundred and fifty years had passed since Lu Changsheng's departure. The path of development the Immortal Martial Palace had established was patience and endurance—endure! Staying far from the center of the Boundary Sea and away from conflict, they focused wholly on growth. The core principle was captured in a single word: endure. No matter what happened, they endured if they could. Though it seemed somewhat cowardly, by relying on forbearance, the palace had survived in peace for over a century. In contrast, those formerly illustrious factions had vanished like smoke, reduced to fleeting illusions. The reason was simple: the factions from the Heaven Realm now held sway. Any native power in the Boundary Sea that attempted resistance was eradicated on the spot. Forces like the Immortal Martial Palace that complied obediently and cooperated had managed to thrive. Yet now, the Immortal Martial Palace had encountered trouble, and no small trouble at that. "The All Immortals Alliance issued an order commanding our Immortal Martial Palace to investigate any unfamiliar immortals or unfamiliar factions." "Originally, it was just an ordinary order, but several Ancestor Realm cultivators under the alliance took advantage of it to extort us! Despicable!" "Indeed. Those Ancestor Realm cultivators are so arrogant and overbearing, using their alliance status to ruthlessly squeeze small local powers like us. Even the alliance itself isn't as vicious as they are..." Figures such as Ancestor Juding and others were present in the hall, their expressions dark. This was not the first time the palace had faced extortion, but this time, the other party's demands were too extortionate. If left unsatisfied, dire trouble would follow. "How I miss the days when Ancestor Lu was here..." one of the palace's three Martial Ancestors could not help but sigh. Over a hundred years had passed with no word of Lu Changsheng. They knew he had entered the Road to Ascending Heaven in an attempt to ascend to the Heaven Realm. But whether he had succeeded, none of them knew. There was even the possibility of failure—perhaps Lu Changsheng had fallen long ago. Still, they refused to believe it, nor did they dare entertain such thoughts. "Even if Ancestor Lu were still here, what difference would it make?" Ancestor Juding spoke up. "Before the All Immortals Alliance, Ancestor Lu would be powerless as well. Even if he successfully became an immortal and returned to the Boundary Sea, he could hardly alter the overall situation here..." He saw the matter quite clearly. "Ancestor Powang, what do you think?" Several turned their gazes toward Ancestor Powang. He was the undisputed number one figure in the Immortal Martial Palace! Back when Lu Changsheng was around, Ancestor Powang had been a top-tier Ancestor Realm expert. Now, he had broken through to the supreme Ancestor Realm. However, Ancestor Powang kept an extremely low profile, never flaunting his abilities. Beyond the palace, few knew he was a supreme Ancestor. Yet even a supreme Ancestor Realm expert had little cause for pride in today's Boundary Sea. Immortals walked everywhere now, and against an immortal, even a supreme Ancestor faced certain death. "The old rule: endure," Ancestor Powang said slowly. "Endure again?" Many Ancestor Realm cultivators furrowed their brows. Just how long had they been enduring? "If not endure, go speak with the All Immortals Alliance yourself." The dissenter fell silent. Although the one delivering the notice wasn't an immortal of the All Immortals Alliance, they were truly Ancestor Realm subordinates of the alliance. If conflict arose and the alliance stepped in, who would they believe? The answer was self-evident. "What if we were to join the All Immortals Alliance directly..." someone muttered. Whoosh. Instantly, angry glares bore down on the speaker. In truth, many within the Immortal Martial Palace had entertained similar thoughts. But it was a perilous notion. Once fully intertwined with the All Immortals Alliance, they would be dragged into the disputes between immortals. A single misstep could reduce the palace to ash. "Do not speak of such things again," Ancestor Powang said resolutely. "Let us first examine what the All Immortals Alliance wants us to investigate this time." And so, the crowd reviewed the contents of the alliance's missive. One look left them utterly stunned. "What? Two Great Immortals of the All Immortals Alliance are dead?" "And the True Immortal of the Tianyan Dao Field is dead as well?" "A suspected third-party faction has appeared..." They looked at one another in disbelief. The news was earth-shattering—it blew the roof off everything! Two Great Immortals and a True Immortal! What kind of line-up was that? With Upper Immortals continually descending from the Heaven Realm, they had come to understand the standing of a "Great Immortal." They knew Great Immortals were stronger and held higher status than True Immortals. A single Great Immortal could practically sweep across the Boundary Sea unimpeded. And yet, they were dead! Two Great Immortals had died! The True Immortal from the Tianyan Dao Field was no ordinary figure either; he was said to rival a Great Immortal in power. Calculated that way, it was effectively three Great Immortals dying at once. Even during the most intense clashes among immortals in the Boundary Sea, three Great Immortals had never fallen simultaneously. If a Great Immortal was outmatched, they could always flee. How could they die? Previously, the only Great Immortal to have perished had been besieged by countless immortals for an extended period. That had been the sole death of a Great Immortal, and it had shaken the heavens and convulsed the Boundary Sea. How much more so now, when the equivalent of three Great Immortals had died all at once? Evidently, a tremendous upheaval had taken place in the Boundary Sea—a catastrophic upheaval! "We must not get involved in this. Another formidable power may have descended from the Heaven Realm—one so dominant it slew three Great Immortals the moment it struck. If we get dragged into it, death will be our only end!" Ancestor Powang made the call without hesitation. Once again, they had to endure. Whatever the extorters demanded, they would give. "Yet if this extortion continues a few more times, I fear our Immortal Martial Palace won't be able to bear it..." Ancestor Juding let out a heavy sigh. He understood Ancestor Powang's reasoning and knew it was the best course of action. Still, he was unwilling to resign himself to it. The fruits of their bitter toil were extorted away with a single sentence. They had lived under this oppression for more than a century, and foreseeably, it would continue. Unless those Heaven Realm Upper Immortals returned to the Heaven Realm, and the Boundary Sea reverted to what it once was. Then, with a supreme Ancestor Realm expert presiding over it, the Immortal Martial Palace would fear no one. Yet that was mere wishful thinking. To this day, the ancient Golden Immortal's treasure remained undiscovered, meaning the immortals would not leave. "A Golden Immortal... As long as clues to the Golden Immortal are found, those immortals will leave the Boundary Sea." "Ancestor Powang, wasn't the lead we found last time a clue regarding the Golden Immortal?" an Ancestor Realm cultivator asked. Whoosh. Every gaze in the room instantly locked onto Ancestor Powang. So there had been such a clue! "A clue..." Ancestor Powang's expression hardened, his voice solemn. "There is indeed a clue, but I haven't investigated it, nor do I dare to. Once this news leaks out, even if we report it to the All Immortals Alliance, we will surely die! After acquiring the lead, the alliance won't care about our palace's survival. So forget about this clue—not a single word must ever leak..." Ancestor Powang's words sent a chill through everyone. None of them were fools; they grasped his meaning immediately. This was not an affair the Immortal Martial Palace could meddle in. In truth, who didn't covet a Golden Immortal's treasures? Obtaining them might allow one to ascend to the heavens in a single step. Even immortals went mad over them; what cultivator could remain indifferent? Yet they were clear-headed and rational. They knew the sheer peril involved. They were merely in the Ancestor Realm. If they dared interfere, what would finding the Golden Immortal's hoard bring them? In all likelihood, nothing but doom. They would perish, dragging the entire Immortal Martial Palace down with them. Without sufficient strength, even holding a clue to the Golden Immortal required feigning complete ignorance. They could not get involved. For a time, the atmosphere in the hall grew somber, weighing heavily on everyone's chest. "Oh?" "You have a clue to the Golden Immortal?" "One wears out iron shoes in a fruitless search, only to find it without any effort." Suddenly, a voice carried in from outside the hall. Hearing this, the faces of many Ancestor Realm cultivators drained of color. Had the news leaked? If this secret was exposed, it meant total annihilation for the Immortal Martial Palace! "Who goes there?" Every Ancestor in the hall sprang to their feet. Only Ancestor Powang, Ancestor Juding, and the palace's three Martial Ancestors seemed to recall something upon hearing that voice. They shot up, their eyes fixed intently upon the entrance. They could hardly believe their ears. That voice was too familiar. Under no circumstance could they ever forget it. Yet they dared not believe it. Bang. The doors swung open. From outside, an unremarkable figure slowly walked in. Yet that seemingly ordinary figure caused the minds of many Ancestors to buzz with shock. Several Ancestors were so excited that their voices trembled. "Is... is that Ancestor Lu?" With those words, the entire hall fell into stunned silence. Ancestor Lu? Many in the hall were newly ascended Ancestors and had never seen Lu Changsheng. But they knew what "Ancestor Lu" signified. He was a living legend within the Immortal Martial Palace. The status the palace enjoyed today was all thanks to that former "Ancestor Lu." Hadn't Ancestor Lu mysteriously vanished? The newly ascended Ancestors did not know the details; only a few veteran Ancestors knew what had truly happened. "Years have passed, Fellow Daoist Powang. I didn't expect you would have reached the supreme Ancestor Realm," Lu Changsheng remarked. "And the three Martial Ancestors, and Fellow Daoist Juding—you've all become top-tier Ancestor Realm experts as well? And so many unfamiliar Ancestor Realm faces. It seems the Immortal Martial Palace has developed remarkably well, perhaps encountering many fortunate opportunities..." Lu Changsheng's gaze swept over the gathered crowd. He was quite gratified. The hall held many old friends and many new faces, yet without exception, all were in the Ancestor Realm! Moreover, the number of Ancestors was nearly tenfold what it had been before! This was an extraordinary achievement. By any measure, less than two hundred years had passed since Lu Changsheng's departure. For the palace to achieve such expansion in under two centuries was nothing short of miraculous. Ordinary development could never have produced so many Ancestors; the Immortal Martial Palace must have encountered exceptional fortunes of its own. "A-Ancestor Lu? Is it truly Ancestor Lu?" "Hahaha! Ancestor Lu has finally returned!" "To think we would live to see Ancestor Lu again..." Inside the hall, Ancestor Juding and the others were overjoyed. Only Ancestor Powang's eyes flickered with uncertainty. He stared fixedly at Lu Changsheng. From Lu Changsheng, he felt a terrifying sense of menace. And yet, Lu Changsheng possessed not the slightest trace of immortal spirit qi. He did not seem to be an immortal. If he wasn't an immortal, how could he evoke such a dreadful sense of danger? Ancestor Powang was now in the supreme Ancestor Realm. Even though Lu Changsheng had been invincible among supreme Ancestors in the past, he had never given off such an overwhelming aura of peril back then. "Fellow Daoist Lu, where have you been all these years without returning?" "Indeed, you left without saying goodbye back then, mentioning the Road to Ascending Heaven. Did you fail?" "Could you have been healing in seclusion all this time?" Many let their imaginations run wild, contemplating all kinds of possibilities. Back then, events had transpired in the Kunwu World, but the news was suppressed. People only knew something had happened there, and that Lu Changsheng had departed alongside Giant Axe Immortal, attempting to travel to the Heaven Realm via the Road to Ascending Heaven. Yet now Lu Changsheng had reappeared in the Immortal Martial Palace. Most likely, his attempt to "ascend" to the Heaven Realm had failed, leaving him injured. Otherwise, why would he stay away from the palace for over a hundred years? Faced with their inquiries, Lu Changsheng remained noncommittal, offering no immediate reply. Whoosh. Suddenly, Ancestor Powang rose to his feet. Staring intently at Lu Changsheng with piercing eyes, his expression solemn, he asked each word distinctly: "Dare I ask, Fellow Daoist Lu, have you become an immortal?"