Immortal Monarchs Descend! One Man Against Five!

In the Heaven Realm, within the All Immortals Alliance. The All Immortals Alliance claimed to possess "ten thousand immortals," and this was by no means an exaggeration. After all, the alliance had existed for an extraordinarily long time. It possessed a total of seven Immortal Monarchs, known collectively as the Seven Immortal Monarchs. Among them existed an internal hierarchy, said to be determined strictly by martial prowess. One's ranking dictated the share of resources one commanded. From time to time, the monarchs challenged one another, and their rankings shifted accordingly. Beneath each Immortal Monarch lay a subordinate faction. When action was required, the monarch made the decision and dispatched immortals from their faction to carry it out. For example, descending to the Boundary Sea to vie for the Golden Immortal treasure had primarily been overseen by the Sixth Immortal Monarch and the Seventh Immortal Monarch. Joining hands, the immortals under these two monarchs had descended to the Boundary Sea and swiftly brought the situation under control, establishing dominion and sweeping across nearly the entire sea. Now, however, matters in the Boundary Sea had taken a turn. At this moment, the Sixth Immortal Monarch and the Seventh Immortal Monarch sat within a grand hall, their expressions far from pleasant. Word had reached them. An Immortal Monarch had appeared in the Boundary Sea! "Hmph." "Seventh Monarch, what are your thoughts?" the Sixth Immortal Monarch asked. The information both had received was identical. The Seventh Immortal Monarch's gaze grew profound, and he said in a low voice, "Have we investigated this Changsheng Dao Field?" "We have. The Changsheng Dao Field's Changsheng Immortal Monarch only recently attained his monarch realm. Though summoned by the Heavenly Court to the battlefield beyond the heavens, he is still in his preparation period." "Lu Changsheng likely descended to the Boundary Sea during this window. Furthermore, he is said to have ascended to the Heaven Realm from the Boundary Sea in the first place. As a cultivator originating from there, he naturally possessed the means to locate it and forge a descent corridor on his own." Having said this, the Seventh Immortal Monarch fell silent. The origins of the matter were crystal clear. Were they in the Heaven Realm, they could do nothing against Lu Changsheng. But the lower realm was different. Down there, no rules applied. Even if they butchered one another, the Heavenly Court would never intervene. Lu Changsheng's brazen insolence thoroughly displeased both the Sixth and Seventh Monarchs. Yet beneath their anger lay a trace of wariness. If they truly descended to wage battle against Lu Changsheng, would they be putting themselves in danger? After all, there were only two of them. Strong as their combined might might be, claiming they were entirely certain of slaying an Immortal Monarch was a stretch. They had no guarantee of victory. "This matter is not the All Immortals Alliance's concern alone. By ignoring the Heavenly Immortal Accord, Lu Changsheng has provoked every faction that signed it." "If those factions haven't given up on the Golden Immortal treasure, they will likely intervene as well. Take the Tianyan Dao Field, for instance. A True Immortal of theirs perished—a prominent one, closely connected to the Tianyan Immortal Monarch." "Thus, we should wait. We will notify all signatories of the Heavenly Immortal Accord and see where they stand. If necessary, we can concede a portion of the spoils..." The two Immortal Monarchs exchanged thoughts. Having cultivated to their current heights through countless storms, what had they not seen? They did not immediately cry for blood and slaughter. No matter what, Lu Changsheng was an Immortal Monarch. Moreover, their inquiries revealed that this man was anything but ordinary. He was rumored to possess three Dao Fruits. Could anyone capable of condensing three Dao Fruits be an ordinary Immortal Monarch? It was far safer to recruit other monarchs before making a move. With that decided, the two monarchs set about contacting their peers. *** While the All Immortals Alliance hurried to rally other factions and monarchs, Lu Changsheng was busy cultivating in the Boundary Sea. Indeed, cultivating. He began by parsing space. With his top-tier comprehension, dissecting space was no longer a daunting task. In his eyes, the fabric of space had become strikingly clear. Spotting a spatial node, Lu Changsheng slipped gently inside. *Whoosh.* In the next instant, he appeared in another location, a thousand li from where he had started. The traversal had taken merely a heartbeat. This was the spatial shuttle! "Spatial shuttling... I have finally mastered it." "With this, I can reach any corner of the Boundary Sea." A smile touched Lu Changsheng's lips. The Boundary Sea was immense. Even for an immortal, flying across its entirety would take untold years. But with the spatial shuttle, everything was different; Lu Changsheng could traverse the entire sea in a remarkably short time. Equipped with this ability, he began visiting every region of the Boundary Sea, attuning himself to its intricate details. He first grasped the broad contours of the entire expanse, then systematically "reshaped" them within his Illusory Realm. It was a monumental undertaking, something only achievable through his current top-tier comprehension. Even so, it required time. One month, three months, five months, eight months... In the blink of an eye, a year drifted by. In fact, slightly more than a year had passed. Yet Lu Changsheng had received no word from the All Immortals Alliance. "The monarchs of the All Immortals Alliance still haven't descended?" "Over a year has passed..." A sharp glint flickered in Lu Changsheng's eyes. He remembered clearly warning them that he would grant only a single year. If no Immortal Monarch arrived within that time, he would wait no longer. He would strike directly, shatter the Road to Ascending Heaven, and expel the immortals of the All Immortals Alliance once and for all. With a thought, Lu Changsheng inspected the interior of his Illusory Realm. The realm was vastly different from what it once was. Over the course of the year, he had indeed recreated the complete outline of the Boundary Sea within it, effectively manifesting an entire "Boundary Sea" world inside the Illusory Realm. Though only an outline, it was the fruit of a full year spent comprehending the expanse through top-tier comprehension. In essence, it differed scarcely from the real Boundary Sea. Lu Changsheng summoned his status panel to review his current state. Host: Lu Changsheng Comprehension: Top-Tier Comprehension Red Dust Dao Fruit: 51% (Illusory Realm Divine Ability) Myriad Spirits Dao Fruit: 52% (Devour Spirit Divine Ability) Flesh and Blood Dao Fruit: 26% (Mighty Power Divine Ability) Physical Immortal Characteristic: Physical Immortality On the panel, his Red Dust Dao Fruit had advanced at a staggering pace. A year ago, its progress had sat at merely 36%, yet now it stood at 51%, crossing the halfway mark. Such progress was extraordinary for a single year. Lu Changsheng understood perfectly why it had surged by fifteen percent: the outline of the Boundary Sea! Simply outlining the sea had propelled the fruit by that much, filling him with renewed confidence. Given enough time to fully reconstruct the Boundary Sea within the Illusory Realm, to what heights might his Red Dust Dao Fruit climb? Eighty percent? Or a full hundred percent completion? He believed either was possible. Crossing the fifty percent threshold had caused the might of his Illusory Realm to skyrocket. Even Lu Changsheng himself was unsure of just how terrifying its power had become. Typically, only Golden Immortals devoted their full efforts to cultivating Dao Fruits. Below the Golden Immortal realm, cultivators left Dao Fruit cultivation to chance; even those who dabbled only scratched the surface rather than plunging into deeper mastery. After all, those beneath the Golden Immortal realm were haunted by the Five Decays of Heaven and Man and lacked the time and energy to cultivate Dao Fruits. Lu Changsheng, however, was an exception. Blessed with top-tier comprehension, cultivating Dao Fruits consumed negligible time and effort. More importantly, his fundamental goal in refining the Red Dust Dao Fruit was to amplify the combat prowess of his Illusory Realm divine ability. "The All Immortals Alliance..." Hesitating no longer, Lu Changsheng's figure flickered as he stepped into a spatial corridor, shuttling directly toward the Kunwu World. *** In the void above the Kunwu World, ripples of space spread outward. A moment later, a figure abruptly emerged—Lu Changsheng, freshly arrived through spatial traversal. "The Kunwu World..." "I have finally returned." Lu Changsheng felt a fleeting sense of trance. He was no stranger to this place; in fact, he knew it intimately. Back when he was still weak, he had come here, stayed for a long period, and reaped tremendous fortune. Later, he and the Giant Axe Immortal had forcibly stormed the Kunwu World's Road to Ascending Heaven, encountered Immortal Baiqi, narrowly escaped death, and ascended to the Heaven Realm. Thus, the Kunwu World had been a blessed land for him. Returning now, he knew its location was precisely where the Golden Immortal treasure lay buried. Previously, his comprehension and analytical abilities had been insufficient; though he had faintly sensed the treasure, he could not unearth it. But now, with top-tier comprehension, it was only a matter of time before he extracted it. Time was all he lacked. There was no rush for the Golden Immortal treasure; so long as he drove off the Heaven Realm factions, he would have all the leisure in the world to seek it out. *Whoosh.* Taking a single stride forward, Lu Changsheng entered the Kunwu World. *Rumble!* He made no attempt to conceal his presence. The moment he crossed the threshold, the entire Kunwu World trembled. Such a commotion was far too vast to overlook. Many Heaven Realm factions were stationed within the world, not just the All Immortals Alliance. They had already heard of Lu Changsheng and knew that this "Changsheng Immortal Monarch" had descended upon the Boundary Sea. Yet seeing him in person for the first time left their souls deeply shaken. Such was the majesty of an Immortal Monarch! Even standing motionless in the Kunwu World without lifting a finger, the pressure he exerted was suffocating, hanging over them like an immense mountain. "It truly is an Immortal Monarch!" "Is a war between Immortal Monarchs about to erupt in the Boundary Sea again?" "During the Archaic Era, the clashes between Immortal Monarchs plunged heaven and earth into darkness and nearly tore the Boundary Sea apart. Is history repeating itself?" "Word of the Changsheng Immortal Monarch was reported to the upper echelons long ago. Whether the monarchs will descend, none of us know." "They say this Changsheng Immortal Monarch is extraordinary even in the Heaven Realm." "For a mere Boundary Sea to give birth to an Immortal Monarch is truly a rare feat..." Many immortals murmured among themselves, well aware that this affair had escalated beyond their ability to intervene. Only an Immortal Monarch possessed the right to stand on this stage. Consequently, despite Lu Changsheng's domineering arrival, none of the immortals dared voice a complaint. They simply watched in silence. The All Immortals Alliance, however, bore the brunt of the pressure, for Lu Changsheng was advancing toward them, step by deliberate step. In mere moments, he arrived in the void outside the All Immortals Alliance headquarters, looking down from above. Great Immortal Kunyuan's expression was grim to the extreme. "Are the Immortal Monarchs of the All Immortals Alliance present?" Lu Changsheng asked slowly. Gritting his teeth, Great Immortal Kunyuan forced himself to speak. "Changsheng Immortal Monarch, the monarchs of our alliance have not yet descended. We ask that you grant us a little more time..." Before Kunyuan could finish his sentence, Lu Changsheng struck. "Since your monarchs have not descended, yet you still linger in the Boundary Sea, have you paid no heed to my words?" "The one-year deadline has passed. Any immortal who has not departed the Boundary Sea shall die!" Lu Changsheng had initially spoken of "expulsion." But once the deadline expired, he could not be bothered to expel them. If they refused to leave, death was their only answer. He extended his hand. The palm ballooned instantly, growing until it blotted out the sky. As his words faded, the titanic hand descended from the heavens, plummeting toward the headquarters of the All Immortals Alliance. "Not good!" Great Immortal Kunyuan's expression twisted in horror. He had never expected Lu Changsheng to attack without warning. Once an Immortal Monarch moved, what could they possibly muster to resist? "Flee!" Kunyuan tried to flee without a second thought. Yet beneath the colossal palm, escape was impossible. Under this single strike, every immortal of the All Immortals Alliance would be reduced to ash. "Stop!" At that critical juncture, several figures manifested faintly along a Road to Ascending Heaven within the Kunwu World, radiating terrifying auras. In that instant, heaven and earth seemed to shift color. The mere pressure of their presence was suffocating, crashing down like Mount Tai. Heavenly Immortals! Every one of the arriving figures radiated the aura of a Heavenly Immortal. Monarchs had descended! Yet Lu Changsheng showed no intention of stopping. As if deaf to the shout, his colossal hand slammed down unabated. *Boom!* The palm struck home. Dozens of immortals from the All Immortals Alliance were pulverized beneath the blow. Moreover, this was the strike of an Immortal Monarch; once reduced to dust, the True Immortals' flesh was utterly annihilated, leaving no possibility of regeneration. In other words, dozens of immortals had perished in a single instant. One strike from Lu Changsheng had wiped out dozens of immortals! As the hand fell and the immortals died, the entire void fell dead silent. Those watching from afar in the Kunwu World trembled violently, terror seizing their hearts. Those were dozens of immortals! Renowned figures capable of sweeping across the entire Boundary Sea were now dead, crushed beneath a single palm from Lu Changsheng. The gulf in power was staggering, as effortless as crushing a nest of ants. Such was a Heavenly Immortal! Such was an Immortal Monarch! The chasm between a Heavenly Immortal and a True Immortal was no different from that between an immortal and an Ancestor Realm cultivator. Numbers meant nothing. For the newly arrived figures, however, this was a humiliating slap to the face. Pure fury erupted from them. "What an audacious Changsheng Immortal Monarch! To dare slaughter our people right before our eyes—it seems you truly hold no regard for us!" one figure growled in a low, murderous voice. Killing intent saturated the air, radiating from every one of the figures and locking squarely onto Lu Changsheng. Lu Changsheng stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing at the arrivals. A quick sweep revealed five figures in total. "Only five of you came?" he remarked coolly, as though five Immortal Monarchs were still too few. "Hmph, the five of us are more than enough to end your life!" The five monarchs had clearly coordinated in advance to join forces against him. Only two belonged to the All Immortals Alliance; among the remaining three was the Tianyan Immortal Monarch, alongside representatives from two other factions. Five Immortal Monarchs, representing four Heavenly Immortal factions. Such a lineup was truly formidable. Even the battles of the Archaic Era had barely matched this scale. While the ancient wars had been far more chaotic, five Immortal Monarchs ganging up on a single peer was exceedingly rare. "Changsheng Immortal Monarch, you have crossed the line by disregarding the Heavenly Immortal Accord." "Had you merely sought a share of the Boundary Sea's Golden Immortal treasure, it would not have been entirely unacceptable. But descending in your true body makes you an enemy to every faction that signed the accord." "Lu Changsheng, you have only recently ascended to Heavenly Immortal and been conscripted by the Heavenly Court. You haven't even stepped onto the battlefield beyond the heavens. The court granted you a century to make preparations, yet you slipped into the Boundary Sea to seize a Golden Immortal treasure. Today, this sea shall be your grave!" "Indeed. In the Heaven Realm, Immortal Monarchs are forbidden from waging unprovoked wars. But in this Boundary Sea, even if a Heavenly Immortal falls, the Heavenly Court will not bat an eye." The five monarchs positioned themselves in different directions, encircling Lu Changsheng. The sheer weight of their collective auras made the Kunwu World groan as if on the verge of collapse. The moment battle commenced, the world would surely shatter. Lu Changsheng glanced at the five and said indifferently, "Words are pointless. The Kunwu World is filled with mortals and hosts many Roads to Ascending Heaven; surely you have no wish to see those roads destroyed? If you wish to fight, then take it to the void of the Boundary Sea!" With that, Lu Changsheng turned and departed. The five monarchs exchanged glances and flew out of the Kunwu World in hot pursuit. Watching the six Immortal Monarchs finally leave, the cultivators remaining in the Kunwu World breathed a collective sigh of relief. They felt immensely fortunate; with the monarchs taking their duel elsewhere, the Kunwu World was spared, and they would not be caught in the crossfire and buried alongside it. Especially some of the immortals. Though few in number, there were still some present, and even now, they were gripped by lingering dread and heart-pounding fear. Dozens of immortals from the All Immortals Alliance, led by Great Immortal Kunyuan and including many Great Immortals, had failed to withstand even a single palm from Lu Changsheng. The shock of their total annihilation was profound. Even so, curiosity proved irresistible. After all, a clash between Immortal Monarchs was a spectacle rarely seen in a lifetime! "Should we... go take a look?" "It is a battle of Immortal Monarchs, after all. In the Heaven Realm, witnessing such a fight would be utterly impossible, let alone a battle involving this many monarchs." "Though their battle is perilous and a mere stray shockwave could kill us, as long as we keep our distance, we should remain safe." "In this fight, it's five monarchs against one—the advantage is on our side!" "Not necessarily. This Changsheng Immortal Monarch is far from ordinary..." After brief deliberation, the immortals could no longer restrain themselves and flew out of the Kunwu World to observe from afar. *** In the void of the Boundary Sea, pitch-black emptiness stretched in all directions. Yet this vast void made for an ideal battleground. Lu Changsheng came to a halt, standing motionless in the dark expanse. The five monarchs did not encircle him this time, choosing instead to confront him head-on. The tension between the two sides was taut as a bowstring, ready to snap at any second. Lu Changsheng felt neither fear nor dread. On the contrary, excitement surged through him. Immortal Monarchs! And five of them at once! They had clearly investigated his background thoroughly, but it mattered little. The Heaven Realm forbade slaughter among Heavenly Immortals; once back in that realm, no matter how deep their enmity ran, none would dare strike without authorization. To do so would offend the majesty of the Heavenly Court, prompting even Golden Immortals to intervene personally. Only in this lower realm could monarchs wage war with absolute abandon. This was an unprecedented opportunity, and Lu Changsheng was eager to test the mettle of other Immortal Monarchs. "Divine ability: Mighty Power!" With a thought, Lu Changsheng activated his Dao Fruit. The Flesh and Blood Dao Fruit trembled slightly, and the heaven-bestowed divine ability within it erupted. This was the first time Lu Changsheng had unleashed the Mighty Power divine ability since attaining the rank of Heavenly Immortal. Pure physical might fused with the terrifying force of physical immortality. When Lu Changsheng threw this punch, the heaven and earth seemed to shatter, blowing the void wide open. The staggering force locked onto all five monarchs simultaneously. Even the five monarchs felt their expressions shift slightly. Such raw, cataclysmic strength far exceeded that of an ordinary Immortal Monarch. "A magnificent divine ability!" "Strike!" The five monarchs held nothing back, unleashing their own divine abilities in the same breath. *Boom!* The clash of divine abilities tore the void of the Boundary Sea apart. In such turbulence, attempting a spatial shuttle was sheer fantasy; the tempest of divine abilities would instantly obliterate the spatial corridor, destroying anyone inside with it. One divine ability pitted against five. Fierce as Lu Changsheng's Mighty Power was, it could not withstand five terrifying divine abilities at once. Like a surging tidal wave, the combined assault crushed his Mighty Power with overwhelming force and bore down directly upon his body. "Divine ability: Devour Spirit!" Without pause, Lu Changsheng invoked his second divine ability. His second Dao Fruit trembled, and Devour Spirit manifested as a cluster of black holes, ravenously swallowing the incoming barrage. After clashing with Mighty Power, the assault had already lost a portion of its potency, and Devour Spirit consumed all things possessing spirit, swallowing the five divine abilities whole. Yet it could not swallow everything. Pushed to its limit, Devour Spirit faltered, allowing the remaining power to crash into Lu Changsheng. *Rip!* Lu Changsheng's physical form began to disintegrate: ten percent, twenty percent, thirty percent... A full thirty percent of his flesh was obliterated. Yet that was all. Thanks to the physical immortal characteristic of an Immortal Monarch, the thirty percent of destroyed flesh regenerated in an instant. Likewise, the five monarchs, who had lost a fraction of their flesh to Devour Spirit, restored themselves immediately. After the initial clash, both sides remained unharmed. The five monarchs held a slight upper hand, but nothing more. "Is this the extent of what five Immortal Monarchs can muster?" Lu Changsheng frowned slightly. Though he had been momentarily pushed back, he felt thoroughly disappointed. Yes, disappointed by their methods. Was this truly the full measure of Heaven Realm Immortal Monarchs? "What?" "Fighting the five of us single-handedly and matching us evenly?" The five monarchs' expressions darkened. Though each had only unleashed a single divine ability, a monarch's divine ability was already their supreme technique—unless they resorted to immortal treasures! Yet having to rely on immortal treasures in a five-against-one battle spoke volumes. They had never anticipated such an outcome. Both sides were left disappointed. "Lu Changsheng, you withstood one exchange, but can you withstand two? Three?" "Everyone, hold nothing back! This man is extraordinary; he is said to have condensed three Dao Fruits, which means he wields three divine abilities. Just now, he used only two—he still has strength in reserve!" "Then let us draw upon our immortal treasures. We must slay the Changsheng Immortal Monarch here and now!" The five monarchs wore grave expressions. When conferring in the Heaven Realm, they had anticipated that Lu Changsheng would be formidable and had not dared underestimate him. Yet none had imagined he would be strong enough to hold off their combined divine abilities. Their only remaining recourse was immortal treasures! "Immortal treasures..." Lu Changsheng shook his head. Had they revealed some unique divine ability, he might have felt a shred of wariness. But immortal treasures? Those were external objects, reliance on borrowed power. Under normal circumstances, drawing on such treasures was standard practice; even Golden Immortals utilized external aids, to say nothing of Heavenly Immortals. Yet before Lu Changsheng, such treasures would be nothing more than useless ornaments. Through this initial clash, Lu Changsheng had gauged his current strength with absolute clarity. His Devour Spirit paired with Mighty Power was indeed potent; in a one-on-one duel, hardly any Immortal Monarch could withstand the combination. Against five monarchs at once, however, the two abilities were stretched thin, only managing to force a stalemate. They were not enough to secure a decisive edge. Yet Lu Changsheng's strongest technique had never been Mighty Power or Devour Spirit. His greatest divine ability was the Illusory Realm. Having surpassed fifty percent progress, its might was boundless, reaching a scale beyond ordinary comprehension. *Hum.* In the next instant, Lu Changsheng's Red Dust Dao Fruit trembled. An invisible force rippled outward from the fruit like concentric waves, expanding across a hundred li in the blink of an eye. The five monarchs felt nothing amiss at first, yet the Illusory Realm had already enveloped them entirely, sweeping them into its fold. Being Heavenly Immortals, however, they quickly sensed that something was wrong. "Not good—we have been pulled into an illusion!" "That invisible force must have been an illusion technique!" "Is this Lu Changsheng's third divine ability?" "An illusion operates entirely on the mental plane—our immortal treasures are useless here!" The five monarchs' faces drained of color. The immortal treasures they relied upon had been rendered completely inert—a contingency none of them had foreseen. Mental illusions were familiar to them, of course, but those were parlor tricks encountered back when they were weak. They were Heavenly Immortals now, their wills tempered to absolute stone. What manner of illusion could possibly beguile minds such as theirs? Yet the reality was undeniable. They had plunged deep into the illusion, utterly unable to break free.