Sweeping the Boundary Sea, Supreme and Unrivaled!

"An illusion?" Lu Changsheng shook his head. "The Illusory Realm is no simple illusion," he murmured softly. He understood well that the Illusory Realm was far more profound than any mere illusion. The current Illusory Realm possessed even space itself, lacking only time. Compared to a true world, it was deficient in nothing but time. It was often said that space and time were one. Only when space and time combined did a true world form. Lacking time, it would forever remain merely an illusory realm. Yet the Illusory Realm was not an illusion, and fundamentally differed from one. No illusion, no matter how exquisite, could ever trap five Immortal Monarchs. Yet the Illusory Realm had effortlessly ensnared all five of them. "If I could grasp time, perhaps the Illusory Realm would truly transform into an actual world..." Lu Changsheng shook his head. That was far too distant. Time was exceedingly enigmatic. Even with his top-tier comprehension, Lu Changsheng still had no clue how to comprehend time. After all, time could not be touched or seen, yet it was omnipresent. It was truly marvelous. Within the Illusory Realm, the five Immortal Monarchs were still desperately trying to break free. In reality, however, Lu Changsheng had already moved against them, stripping them of their immortal treasures one by one. One, three, five, eight... One had to admit, the five Immortal Monarchs were remarkably wealthy. Lu Changsheng seized a total of ten immortal treasures from their bodies. On average, that was two immortal treasures per monarch, and each was a high-grade treasure at the Heavenly Immortal tier. Prior to this, the only Heavenly Immortal-tier treasure Lu Changsheng possessed was the Dragon-Suppressing Pillar. Of course, the Dragon-Suppressing Pillar was extraordinary, far beyond ordinary Heavenly Immortal-tier treasures. Even so, acquiring ten Heavenly Immortal-tier treasures all at once took Lu Changsheng quite by surprise. "Are Immortal Monarchs really this wealthy?" Lu Changsheng was genuinely astonished. Could the monarchs of these major factions all be so rich? Or was there a particular reason why all five of them were so well-endowed? Lu Changsheng thought of one possibility. The battlefield beyond the heavens! All Immortal Monarchs eventually had to travel to the battlefield beyond the heavens. And to be able to return from that battlefield meant one must have achieved major merit, granting them an extended period of rest and recuperation. Achieving major merit on the battlefield beyond the heavens would surely come with substantial rewards—perhaps extraordinarily lavish ones. Otherwise, how could so many immortals at or above the Heavenly Immortal tier be driven to risk their lives? Perhaps the reason these five monarchs were so wealthy was that they had earned those riches at the risk of their lives on the battlefield beyond the heavens. Now, however, it had all fallen into Lu Changsheng's hands. "Divine ability, Mighty Power!" Lu Changsheng threw a punch directly into the bodies of the five Immortal Monarchs. This was the power of his Mighty Power divine ability combined with physical immortality. Previously, the five monarchs had their divine abilities to defend themselves, so Lu Changsheng had been unable to blow them apart. Now, things were different. Their minds and consciousnesses were suppressed within the Illusory Realm. Their physical bodies were sitting ducks, completely defenseless before his strikes. Thus, with a single blow, the bodies of the five Immortal Monarchs instantly detonated, exploding into clouds of blood mist. *Buzz.* As their physical forms blew apart into mist, a black hole opened in the void, immediately swallowing all their flesh and blood. This was the Devour Spirit divine ability. Once swallowed by Devour Spirit, any entity possessing spirit or vitality would be relentlessly ground down into oblivion. Flesh and blood were no exception. The flesh of True Immortals and Great Immortals could never withstand the grinding devouring of Devour Spirit. Yet, Lu Changsheng had underestimated Heavenly Immortals after all. Or rather, Heavenly Immortals had undergone a complete qualitative leap, setting them entirely apart from True Immortals. All Heavenly Immortals shared a defining trait: Physical immortality! Even after countless eons, even in death, a Heavenly Immortal's physical body would never suffer decay or alteration. Physical immortality! This "immortality" was far from an empty figure of speech. It was absolute and literal. When Lu Changsheng unleashed Devour Spirit to obliterate their bodies, he sensed something amiss. Though blasted into mist, the devoured flesh of the five monarchs could not be annihilated within the Devour Spirit divine ability. Lu Changsheng focused his senses inside Devour Spirit on the monarchs' remains. Their flesh had already been reduced to the absolute smallest particles by Devour Spirit—the fundamental units of the physical body. They were nearly invisible to the naked eye, discernible only through divine sense. Yet in Lu Changsheng's perception, every single fundamental particle of their flesh was crystal-clear and translucent. Round, whole, and gleaming with brilliant gold, they radiated an aura of immortality. Moreover, they appeared utterly perfect, without the slightest flaw. There were countless such flawless physical particles. Yet now, Lu Changsheng's Devour Spirit could not destroy even a single one. No matter how desperately Devour Spirit churned, even when augmented by Mighty Power, the result remained unchanged. He could blow their physical bodies apart. Yet he could not truly erase a single particle of their immortal flesh. "Immortality... So this is what true immortality is..." Lu Changsheng murmured under his breath. A wave of realization washed over him. Previously, he had not understood what immortality truly entailed, assuming it merely meant enduring the passage of time and living as long as the heavens. Now he saw that its meaning was far more profound. To a degree, immortality literally meant imperishability. Even as a fellow Heavenly Immortal, he could not erase the physical particles of another Heavenly Immortal. Yet that raised a question. When other Heavenly Immortals fought to the death, how did they slay one another? In the history of the Heaven Realm, clashes between Immortal Monarchs had certainly occurred, and monarchs had fallen. How could an Immortal Monarch truly be unkillable? If they were genuinely invincible and undying, what would be the point of cultivating further? It would be meaningless. Immortal Monarchs could definitely be killed. Lu Changsheng simply had not grasped the method yet. Or rather, his current divine abilities lacked the power to erase the physical particles of a Heavenly Immortal, leaving him unable to execute them physically. "Even if I cannot slay them now, it matters little." "Once I return to my Dao field in the Heaven Realm, could the power of the Dao field fail to erase these particles?" A cold glint flickered in Lu Changsheng's eyes. He did not believe anything in existence was truly indestructible. Even if a Heavenly Immortal's physical particles were immortal, they had to be breakable. His divine abilities simply were not strong enough yet. If his power were amplified several times over, or tenfold, could they still withstand annihilation? However, the problem was how to bring them back to his Dao field. The Illusory Realm could only suppress their consciousness, not their physical bodies. How could he haul five Immortal Monarchs back to the Heaven Realm? That would be troublesome. "In that case, can the Illusory Realm erase their spiritual consciousness?" A thought struck Lu Changsheng. He had devised an alternative. In truth, he had also considered sealing them with immortal treasures. Yet even with Heavenly Immortal-tier treasures, suppressing five Immortal Monarchs simultaneously was out of the question. Their spiritual consciousness, however, was another matter. Currently, the Illusory Realm was Lu Changsheng's strongest technique. Among its properties was the power to wear down the spirit. Whether it could completely erase the consciousness of an Immortal Monarch was something Lu Changsheng did not know for certain. He had to try. With that, Lu Changsheng hesitated no longer. Focusing his full spirit, he mobilized the entire might of the Illusory Realm. At that moment, within the Illusory Realm. The five Immortal Monarchs wore grim expressions. They had tried countless methods, yet none allowed them to break free from the illusion. Every technique they possessed seemed utterly useless. It was as if they were condemned to sink into this illusion for all eternity. By this point, panic had finally begun to creep into their hearts. Yet they were powerless. *Rumble.* The Illusory Realm shifted once more. The three layers of space from the Tianyuan Ancient Immortal Battlefield descended. The vast contours of the entire Boundary Sea manifested alongside them. A dual suppression fell upon them. Finally, the Devour Spirit divine ability took form within the Illusory Realm as a gaping black hole. The black hole swallowed the five Immortal Monarchs whole, beginning to grind down their consciousness. An Immortal Monarch's body was physically immortal, but their spiritual consciousness had not attained that absolute level. As Lu Changsheng exerted the full force of the Illusory Realm, the difference was immediately apparent. Under the grinding force of the Illusory Realm, the consciousnesses of the five Immortal Monarchs were indeed being worn away bit by bit. Though the process was agonizingly slow, it was genuinely working. Once their consciousness was erased, what good would an intact physical body be? It would be no different from true death. The five monarchs instantly sensed the mortal peril. "Our spiritual consciousness is being erased?!" "Lu Changsheng's illusion technique can grind away our consciousness? How is this possible?!" "If our consciousness is obliterated, even if our bodies survive, we will become living corpses—no different from dying!" Now, the five monarchs were thoroughly terrified. Who could have imagined they would face actual death here? Immortal Monarchs possessed physical immortality and lived as long as the heavens. Even when Heavenly Immortals clashed, defeat typically resulted only in suppression. Killing one was nearly impossible. Even when they had clamored earlier to deal with Lu Changsheng, they had only aimed to suppress him. Yet now, they were on the verge of dying. This was completely beyond their wildest expectations. They had never even entertained the thought that Lu Changsheng possessed the means to end their lives. "Mercy!" "Immortal Monarch Changsheng, we have no deep-seated enmity between us! Spare our lives! We will withdraw from the Boundary Sea immediately and never lay a finger on it again!" "Fellow Daoist Lu, we are all Immortal Monarchs—why must we push this to a fight to the death? Fellow Daoist, you haven't been to the battlefield beyond the heavens yet, have you? That place is perilous beyond measure! We only returned to the Heaven Realm temporarily to recuperate; we can offer you guidance and aid!" "Fellow Daoist Lu, matters on the battlefield beyond the heavens are exceedingly intricate and fraught with danger. With our assistance, you will surely adapt to it far more quickly..." Sensing their imminent demise, the monarchs panicked entirely. To preserve their lives, they were willing to offer anything. "The battlefield beyond the heavens?" Lu Changsheng's heart stirred. He was indeed curious about that battlefield. Furthermore, another issue remained. While he could grind down their consciousness using the Illusory Realm, the process was exceedingly slow and demanded immense mental energy. Doing so against five Immortal Monarchs at once would take an unknown length of time. Maintaining the Illusory Realm continuously placed a tremendous strain on him as well. Besides, Immortal Monarchs were forbidden from fighting in the Heaven Realm. Even if they returned to the Heaven Realm, these monarchs would not dare do anything to him. Sparing them to glean information about the battlefield beyond the heavens was a favorable alternative. Naturally, there was another crucial factor: Lu Changsheng possessed absolute confidence. He could vanquish these five monarchs today, and he could do so just as easily tomorrow. With the passage of time, his strength would only continue to grow. Among all the cultivators he had ever surpassed, not a single one had ever managed to catch up to his footsteps. Such was his conviction. Thus, Lu Changsheng ceased his assault, halting the grinding of their consciousness. Seeing Lu Changsheng relent, the five monarchs finally breathed a collective sigh of relief. Yet they remained acutely aware of their situation. They were not out of danger just yet. "Speak, then. Tell me of the battlefield beyond the heavens," Lu Changsheng said indifferently. So long as their answers satisfied him, sparing their lives was not out of the question. "Yes, yes, we will tell you everything we know without reservation..." The five monarchs proved thoroughly cooperative, recounting the conditions of the battlefield beyond the heavens in detail. Lu Changsheng's eyes brightened as he listened. The battlefield beyond the heavens was far more intricate and perilous than he had envisioned. Even Dao Ancestors were personally involved. In fact, the Heaven Realm was currently at a disadvantage. The five monarchs explained a great deal in meticulous detail, and Lu Changsheng committed every word to memory. After several days, the five monarchs finally finished. "Retract." Lu Changsheng dispelled the Illusory Realm. Finding themselves once more within the Boundary Sea, faint smiles finally returned to the monarchs' faces. They had come within a hair's breadth of death. As for the loss of their immortal treasures, that was only natural. To the victor went the spoils. Having lost, they naturally had to leave something behind. Besides, immortal treasures were replaceable. At worst, they could return to the battlefield beyond the heavens, earn more merits, and exchange them for new ones. Their original treasures had all been redeemed through merits earned on that very battlefield. "I give you one month to bring all your subordinates back to the Heaven Realm." "After one month, I will sever the Roads to Ascending Heaven entirely," Lu Changsheng stated flatly. This made his stance abundantly clear. The Boundary Sea belonged to the Changsheng Dao Field. No one else would be permitted to lay a finger on it! The five monarchs naturally complied. Having suffered defeat and nearly lost their lives, their sole desire now was survival. Compared to their lives, the Golden Immortal treasure was insignificant. "We will surely uphold our Dao oaths." All five monarchs swore Dao oaths upon their Dao Fruits. While such oaths were not entirely absolute, they carried significant binding force. Swearing upon one's Dao Fruit meant that violating the oath would severely hinder future advancement. Of course, one could ignore such constraints if their will was exceptionally unyielding and their strength overwhelming. "Go." Lu Changsheng waved a hand, and the five monarchs hurriedly retreated toward the Kunwu World. Back in the Kunwu World, the five monarchs exchanged stunned glances. This time, they had truly escaped death by the skin of their teeth. They had nearly fallen. Recalling how the five of them had descended from the Heaven Realm with such pomp and majesty, exuding absolute dominance, what had become of it? The moment they arrived in the Boundary Sea, they had received a brutal thrashing. Lu Changsheng alone had nearly annihilated all five of them. Even now, lingering dread gripped their hearts. "Fellow Daoists, are we truly going to scurry back to the Heaven Realm in disgrace like this?" one of the monarchs asked, a trace of reluctance in his voice. "If we don't go back, what else can we do? Do you still intend to challenge Lu Changsheng?" "Indeed. Lu Changsheng has only just become an Immortal Monarch, yet his prowess already allows him to suppress all five of us. He can even grind away our consciousness, which is tantamount to slaying us outright. Such strength would rank among the very best even on the battlefield beyond the heavens. What do we have to contend against him?" "Precisely. We have lost our immortal treasures; we have no chance left." "Forget it. The Golden Immortal treasure was never meant for monarchs like us to claim. To the victor go the spoils. This time, I concede defeat..." Most of the monarchs chose to accept their loss. Returning obediently to the Heaven Realm at least guaranteed their lives. "Immortal Monarch Changsheng... In the future, the name of Immortal Monarch Changsheng will surely shake the entire battlefield beyond the heavens!" The five monarchs sighed with emotion. Promptly, they gathered their subordinate True Immortals and began embarking on the Roads to Ascending Heaven in batches, returning to the Heaven Realm. A month later, Lu Changsheng commenced his sweeping of the realm. The factions under the five monarchs had indeed returned to the Heaven Realm. Seeing the five monarchs retreat in defeat, the other factions followed suit, departing one after another. However, a few immortals remained unwilling to accept this outcome. They attempted to hide within the Boundary Sea and take a desperate gamble. Yet Lu Changsheng tracked down every single one of them and executed them on the spot. Over the course of roughly half a year, Lu Changsheng purged virtually every foreign immortal from the Boundary Sea. He had truly achieved his goal: sweeping the Boundary Sea, supreme and unrivaled! Furthermore, Lu Changsheng destroyed nearly all the Roads to Ascending Heaven. He preserved only the passage through which he had initially descended to the Boundary Sea. That was also a Road to Ascending Heaven. Moreover, the passage he had carved opened directly into the Changsheng Dao Field. If he stabilized this Road to Ascending Heaven in the future so that spatial turbulence would not sweep away cultivators of the Ancestor Realm or immortal realms, anyone ascending to the Heaven Realm through this path would arrive straight inside the Changsheng Dao Field. This would ensure immense safety for future ascenders, a far cry from the perilous ordeal Lu Changsheng and Giant Axe Immortal had faced during their own ascension. Even so, Lu Changsheng had not forgotten his original purpose in coming to the Boundary Sea: The Golden Immortal treasure! He needed to claim the Golden Immortal treasure. Now that all Heaven Realm factions had been driven out, it was time to unearth it. "The Golden Immortal treasure lies at the coordinates of the Kunwu World, yet it is not within the world itself—in fact, it has nothing to do with the Kunwu World!" Lu Changsheng stood quietly in the void outside the Kunwu World. He was entirely alone. For unearthing the Golden Immortal treasure, he alone was more than enough. Besides, no one else could offer any meaningful aid. In truth, Lu Changsheng knew that the monarchs' struggle over the treasure had been utterly pointless. Even if he had shared its exact location with them, it would have served no purpose. Those monarchs possessed no means to reach it. The treasure's resting place was exceptionally peculiar: It was located within an interstitial spatial crevice. Indeed, within a spatial layer. Without a profound understanding of space, or outright mastery over it, obtaining the Golden Immortal treasure was impossible. Back when Lu Changsheng's comprehension had not yet advanced to top-tier, he could only detect its location. He had lacked the ability to actually retrieve it. Now, however, circumstances were different. With his comprehension advanced to top-tier, he possessed the capability to unearth the Golden Immortal treasure. Naturally, it would require time. Standing quietly in the void near the Kunwu World, Lu Changsheng engaged his top-tier comprehension to analyze the surrounding void, focusing particularly on the region harboring the Golden Immortal treasure. Lu Changsheng had indeed grasped spatial power. Yet space was boundlessly vast. What he commanded was merely the space of the Boundary Sea. Upon returning to the Heaven Realm, he would have to re-analyze its space and attempt to master its spatial forces anew. The difficulty would surely differ. Nonetheless, foundational commonalities existed. For now, Lu Changsheng pushed thoughts of the Heaven Realm aside, focusing solely on the Golden Immortal treasure. Wielding spatial power, Lu Changsheng operated like someone unraveling silk from a cocoon, peeling back layer after layer of the void bit by bit. Space was exceedingly complex, especially its stratified layers. These spatial strata stacked upon one another, prone to collapsing at the slightest misstep. A single collapse would ruin all prior progress, forcing him to start over from scratch. Consequently, no matter how cautious Lu Changsheng remained, he still triggered collapse after collapse. Yet with the passage of time, he gradually mastered the underlying patterns. Three months, six months, eight months... After fifteen months, Lu Changsheng finally reached the interstitial spatial layer housing the Golden Immortal treasure, unraveling every barrier like silk from a cocoon. With preparations complete, Lu Changsheng condensed a True Immortal-tier flesh avatar and dispatched it into the spatial crevice. The interstitial layer was far too hazardous; Lu Changsheng would never risk his true body. A single True Immortal-tier flesh avatar was more than sufficient to retrieve the treasure. *Buzz.* The moment his flesh avatar entered the layered spaces, an immense crushing pressure bore down upon its entire form. It was a relentless, compounding pressure across countless strata. Had he not mastered the spatial power of the Boundary Sea, squeezing through these fragile spatial layers would have been utterly impossible. After an indeterminate span, feeling as though he had crossed countless layers of space, Lu Changsheng suddenly felt the tension leave his avatar. The surrounding spatial pressure vanished. He now stood within an expansive pocket of space. Simultaneously, a terrifying pressure radiated from within this spatial realm. "I've finally arrived!" A smile surfaced on Lu Changsheng's face. He looked ahead: suspended in the void of this spatial layer lay a colossal form. The body was entirely devoid of life, yet it showed not the slightest trace of decay. The reason was simple: physical immortality. Even though it was dead and bereft of vitality, the pressure it exerted still weighed heavily on Lu Changsheng. It was a dreadful aura that surpassed even Heavenly Immortals. A Golden Immortal! This corpse undeniably belonged to a Golden Immortal! Only a Golden Immortal could exert such immense pressure upon him. "Heavenly Immortals possess physical immortality; Golden Immortals possess immortal dharmic power; and Taiyi possesses immortal Dao Fruits." "This Golden Immortal likely faced the Five Decays of Heaven and Man, failed to endure it, and perished when their Dao Fruit collapsed." "If that is the case, this corpse must still contain dharmic power." Lu Changsheng immediately drew near the corpse. Though the pressure was formidable, the entity was deceased. By steeling himself against the pressure, Lu Changsheng could still approach. Drawing close to the Golden Immortal corpse, he reached out and lightly touched it. *Boom.* As expected, a boundless reservoir of dharmic power rested within the corpse, radiating that same aura of immortality. Truly, immortal dharmic power. "Where is the Dao Fruit?" Lu Changsheng knew that during the Five Decays of Heaven and Man, Golden Immortals faced the tribulation of the Dao Fruit. Failing it meant the Dao Fruit would inevitably shatter. Even so, shattered remnants ought to remain. Lu Changsheng searched carefully. Sure enough, his efforts bore fruit. He sensed the surrounding void with meticulous precision. A Dao Fruit could only be detected through the senses. Indeed, he caught traces of Dao Fruit shards. However, reduced to fragments, they were virtually useless. "So the so-called Golden Immortal treasure is this corpse?" "Wait, where are the immortal treasures this Golden Immortal carried?" Lu Changsheng refused to believe a Golden Immortal possessed no treasures. Sure enough, far from the corpse, Lu Changsheng discovered an immortal treasure. Though it was the only one, the pressure it exuded was terrifying, proving it was no ordinary artifact. It was almost certainly a Golden Immortal-tier treasure! A Golden Immortal treasure! It was a bead radiating a dim, grayish luster, appearing entirely unremarkable at a glance. Yet it carried an overwhelming aura. Lu Changsheng attempted to draw close, only to find that no matter how much he moved forward, he could never reach it. Yet the bead was visibly right before his eyes. "So close, yet worlds apart! This bead must possess power akin to spatial manipulation..." Lu Changsheng's eyes lit up as he recognized its extraordinary nature. It was unquestionably tied to space. He tried several more methods. The bead hovered directly in front of him, yet no matter what he attempted, he could not touch it. "Spatial power... In that case, I shall simply analyze it." Lu Changsheng had deduced that the bead was tied to space, and was very likely a Golden Immortal-tier treasure. Taking control of such a treasure was exceptionally difficult. One could only wonder how that ancient Golden Immortal had acquired and mastered it back then. Now, if Lu Changsheng wished to claim it, there was only one path: analysis! Fortunately, he was in no hurry. At worst, he would simply spend the necessary time. With his comprehension fully transformed, was there any treasure he could not analyze? It was merely a matter of time. And time was something Lu Changsheng had in abundance. He had over a century at his disposal to analyze it at his leisure. He certainly would not abandon a Golden Immortal treasure. Without hesitation, he began his analysis. One year, two years, three years, four years, five years... Lu Changsheng's analysis spanned years. Roughly eight years later, Lu Changsheng opened his eyes. Over those eight years, by steadily parsing the spatial forces, he had actually closed the distance to the bead. Now, the bead hovered right before him, easily within reach. Hesitating no further, he extended his hand and clasped the bead. *Boom.* The entire pocket of space shook violently. "Hm?" Lu Changsheng saw fractures spreading across the space, threatening immediate collapse. He understood the cause at once. The reason this spatial layer had remained so remarkably stable—even allowing a Golden Immortal to undergo their Dao Fruit tribulation here— was entirely due to this bead. This bead had the power to create and anchor a stable spatial domain. The moment Lu Changsheng moved it, the space destabilized and naturally began to crumble. "Time to go!" With one hand grasping the bead, Lu Changsheng seized the Golden Immortal corpse with the other. The treasure was precious, but the Golden Immortal corpse was equally invaluable. Holding both, he traversed through the spatial layers and returned to the Boundary Sea. *Whoosh.* Lu Changsheng emerged from the spatial crevice, arriving back in the void outside the Kunwu World. In his perception, that pocket of space rapidly collapsed, annihilated entirely within the spatial turbulence until not a trace remained. Yet the Golden Immortal treasure had safely fallen into his hands: one Golden Immortal corpse, and one Golden Immortal-tier treasure. Having already analyzed the treasure, he was prepared to refine it at any moment. Without delay, Lu Changsheng began refining the Golden Immortal treasure on the spot. The process took little time. In roughly a year, he successfully refined it. "So this treasure is called the Kongxiang Bead." "And that ancient Golden Immortal was known as Immortal Venerable Kongxiang?" A peculiar gleam flickered in Lu Changsheng's eyes. Immortal Venerable! This title referred specifically to Golden Immortals. Heavenly Immortals were hailed as Immortal Monarchs, while Golden Immortals were revered as Immortal Venerables. Immortal Venerable Kongxiang was an extraordinarily ancient figure, one who had once roamed the expanse beyond the heavens. In his era, the You clan had not yet invaded the Heaven Realm. Immortal Venerables were free to travel and adventure beyond the heavens, securing countless fortuitous encounters. The Kongxiang Bead had been forged by Immortal Venerable Kongxiang during his travels beyond the heavens, crafted from rare and precious materials into a supreme spatial treasure.