Shockwaves on the Surge List: Lu Changsheng Deserves to Be the Number One Immortal Monarch of the Heaven Realm!

"Far too weak..." Qi of the You clan shook his head. He had thought Lu Changsheng would be formidable. Yet this was all he amounted to? To compete in sheer strength against a member of the You clan was nothing short of suicidal. Migrating perpetually through the Chaos, the You clan had encountered races as numerous as ox hairs and all manner of cultivation systems. Yet when it came to body cultivation and physical prowess, the You clan had never encountered any body-refining beings stronger than themselves. The immortals were somewhat exceptional, having managed to resist the You clan for so long. Naturally, that was only because the You clan's Primordial Ancestor had not yet awakened. Once their Primordial Ancestor awoke, the war would come to an end. The uniqueness of the immortals lay in their physical immortality. Physical immortality was indeed formidable. Perhaps their strength was not particularly overwhelming and their defense was not exceedingly stout, but their vitality was astonishingly tenacious. Unless every single particle of a Heavenly Immortal's flesh and blood was thoroughly pulverized and annihilated, a Heavenly Immortal would not die; they would not perish. They could only be suppressed. Many extraterrestrial beings could merely suppress an Immortal Monarch. Yet when it came to slaying an Immortal Monarch, pulverizing their particles of flesh and blood, and completely shattering that physical immortality, one had to look to the You clan. Above all, Qi was no ordinary member of the You clan. He was royalty among them! Within his veins flowed royal blood. Even if that royal bloodline had not yet been activated, it remained royal blood nonetheless, setting him high above the rest of the You clan. "Royal blood, shatter the void!" Qi of the You clan suddenly growled. A crimson glow enveloped his entire body, like deep, freshly drawn blood. Simultaneously, he threw another punch. This strike landed right amid Lu Changsheng's ruptured flesh. In an instant, Lu Changsheng realized something was terribly wrong. His particles of flesh and blood were disintegrating at blinding speed. Once those particles crumbled, it meant his physical immortality had been broken. And once all of his flesh particles were pulverized, he would truly fall. At this moment, Lu Changsheng finally understood why the You clan differed so fundamentally from other extraterrestrial beings. The reason was simple. The You clan could break the immortals' physical immortality. Even the most fundamental physical particles could be crushed by their power. In the blink of an eye, ten percent of Lu Changsheng's physical body had been pulverized. *So that's how it is...* Lu Changsheng understood. Ten percent pulverized in a mere instant. In perhaps just another breath's time, his entire body would be destroyed. A thought stirred in Lu Changsheng's mind. *Buzz.* The Mortal Dao Fruit within his body trembled faintly. Immediately after, the vast Illusory Realm descended. "Hmm?" "What is this...?" Qi snapped his head up, his eyes wide with shock. Perhaps other extraterrestrial beings and Immortal Monarchs could not see the Illusory Realm—nor could they even sense it. Yet Qi was different. He was of the You clan, and of royal blood at that. That royal heritage granted him all kinds of uncanny capabilities. Even though he had yet to activate his bloodline, he still possessed far more miraculous faculties than ordinary members of his kind. And now, Qi "saw" with his own eyes a colossal "world" appear out of nowhere within the void, sweeping forward to engulf everything within a hundred li. Qi instinctively tried to flee beyond the hundred-li boundary. Yet it was already too late. This was the Chaos, thick with Chaos Qi that restricted his movements to a certain degree. Escaping a hundred-li radius in a single instant was simply impossible. "A world! This is a world!" "How could a native of a lowly civilization like you have stepped onto the path of a World Master?!" "Impossible! This is absolutely impossible... Break for me!" Qi looked as though he were witnessing something beyond belief. *Boom!* The Illusory Realm descended. Moreover, Lu Changsheng held nothing back. The Boundary Sea within the Illusory Realm bore down with crushing force. In Qi's eyes, it truly was a whole world bearing down in an overwhelming tide, seeking to grind him into fine dust. Qi knew all too well how terrifying a World Master was. Such a figure wielded the complete, perfect power of a world. What did the You clan matter? What did a physical body matter? Before a World Master, what significance did any of that hold? Could anyone withstand the crushing weight of an entire world? No! No one could withstand it! To say nothing of him, even the Primordial Ancestor of the You clan possessed an unfathomably powerful physique that could shatter a chaos world with a single punch. Yet if a true World Master bore down carrying the weight of a world, even the Primordial Ancestor would be ground to dust. Qi's face twisted in despair and terror. The others, meanwhile, looked on in astonishment, having no idea what was happening. Even the extraterrestrial beings and the Immortal Monarchs were utterly bewildered. Had Qi of the You clan not held the absolute upper hand just moments before? He had blown Lu Changsheng apart with a single blow. Why, then, did Qi now look so utterly despairing? As if he had encountered some horrifying nightmare, his face was pale with panic and dread. *Boom!* At last, the Illusory Realm descended completely. It bore down, enveloping Qi of the You clan and all the other extraterrestrial beings alike. Even the Immortal Monarchs were caught within it. After all, Lu Changsheng's Illusory Realm lacked the ability to selectively displace the Immortal Monarchs. The Illusory Realm targeted only consciousness; it could not act upon the physical body. As the Illusory Realm enveloped him, Qi emerged from his panic only to make a sudden realization. He was fine. Yes, completely fine. His body had not been crushed by a world. He was still alive. He could even feel his physical body. It was only that a barrier seemed to have formed between his body and his consciousness. More precisely, his consciousness had been bound. "This world... is akin to an illusion?" "It only suppresses consciousness and has no effect whatsoever on the body?" "Indeed, he is no true World Master. The difference is vast as heaven and earth!" "Of course. If the immortals truly possessed a World Master, how could they have remained entirely on the defensive against our You clan? Had one existed, our You clan would have been wiped out long ago..." Qi grew thoughtful as he began to understand his current plight. Lu Changsheng was not a World Master. After all, in the Chaos, World Masters stood at the pinnacle of cultivation systems. If one were born, they would be strong enough to run rampant across the Chaos. Lu Changsheng merely resembled one slightly, wielding less than one ten-thousandth of a true World Master's might. It targeted only consciousness, and even that mental suppression was nowhere near as terrifying as a World Master's. At least for now, Qi's mind was not under overwhelming pressure, and he could still hold his ground. The other extraterrestrial beings, however, were not so fortunate. The instant Lu Changsheng's Illusory Realm descended, their consciousnesses were crushed. "Die!" The moment their minds were suppressed, Lu Changsheng unleashed a frenzied barrage of punches. The bodies of those extraterrestrial beings had been reduced to sitting targets. They had no way to withstand Lu Changsheng's divine ability of Mighty Power and were blasted apart one after another. In just a few breaths' time, dozens of extraterrestrial beings were obliterated. Only Qi of the You clan remained standing, his body unmoved. Even standing completely still within the Chaos and letting Lu Changsheng strike him freely, his body took not the slightest harm. Such was the You clan. Their physical might surpassed that of all immortals! "Hahaha! You cannot kill me!" "Your methods only work against consciousness! Even if my body stands right here, you cannot harm a single hair on my head!" Within the Illusory Realm, Qi laughed aloud, entirely fearless. Yet this also proved that Qi could sense to some degree that his physical body was taking attacks, making him far stronger than the other extraterrestrial lifeforms. Once the others were suppressed by the Illusory Realm, their minds were truly locked down, turning their bodies into mindless meat targets oblivious to everything around them. "Is that so?" "I truly cannot destroy your body, but that does not mean I cannot destroy your consciousness!" "Illusory Realm, grind away!" Lu Changsheng mobilized the full power of the Illusory Realm. The Tianyuan Ancient Immortal Battlefield, the black hole, the Boundary Sea—all of the Illusory Realm's power converged to grind away at Qi's consciousness. Qi was of the You clan. The You clan had no obvious weaknesses, yet they did have a relatively softer spot. That soft spot was their consciousness. Although their consciousness was comparable to or even stronger than that of many Immortal Monarchs, it was still far weaker in comparison to their physical forms. Now that Lu Changsheng brought the full force of the Illusory Realm to bear, Qi immediately felt the mortal danger. His consciousness was severed into pieces by the Illusory Realm, which then began to grind them away, bit by bit. "What?!" Qi panicked. His consciousness truly was being eroded away, piece by piece. Though the pace was not rapid, it was undeniable. "Aaah! Break for me!" Qi desperately attempted to shatter the Illusory Realm, but it was all in vain. In the Chaos, Qi's royal bloodline made his physical body invincible and unstoppable, but within the Illusory Realm, his consciousness could not match that physical invulnerability. Under the full weight of Lu Changsheng's Illusory Realm, his mind was being worn away. Ten percent, twenty percent, thirty percent, forty, fifty... With every passing moment, Qi's consciousness grew weaker and weaker. "No, I cannot die here! I will not die here!" "Lu Changsheng, the You clan knows my exact location! If you kill me, our experts will arrive shortly, and you will be slaughtered!" Qi roared frantically. He truly did not want to die. This mission was not even supposed to have been his to begin with; plenty of other You clan experts could have come. Yet Qi had volunteered, mainly because he wanted to stretch his limbs. He relished the sensation of tearing Immortal Monarchs to pieces bit by bit. Yet here he was, meeting Lu Changsheng, and on the brink of death instead. Qi was genuinely terrified. "Hmm? The You clan can sense your location?" Lu Changsheng's eyes narrowed. Reaching out, he searched Qi's body, turning out nearly everything the being carried. "This is... a mind stone?" Lu Changsheng truly found a mind stone. He recognized it, knowing that carrying one allowed members of the You clan to communicate with one another across the Chaos and even transmit images. In other words, the scene unfolding right now had long since been transmitted to many You clan powerhouses. Lu Changsheng was indeed in grave danger. *Even a You clan member at the Immortal Venerable level will need time to rush here.* *All I need to do is seize every second to thoroughly grind away Qi's consciousness. When their experts arrive, I can rely on the Chaos Qi to slip away smoothly.* *However, these Immortal Monarchs must leave immediately; I won't be able to protect them...* With that in mind, Lu Changsheng immediately called out to Immortal Monarch Baiyan and the others, "Experts of the You clan will arrive shortly! Leave this place at once and return to the Immortal Palace!" With a flick of his will, Lu Changsheng released their consciousnesses back into their physical bodies. Immortal Monarch Baiyan and his companions recognized the gravity of the situation. Looking at Lu Changsheng, Baiyan said solemnly, "Immortal Monarch Changsheng, take care! You must return alive..." With that, Immortal Monarch Baiyan led the group away at top speed. Meanwhile, at the You clan headquarters, many eyes were fixed upon a single figure. Qi! He was of royal blood, an esteemed individual. Through the mind stone, they could see everything Qi saw. They had watched him corner a squad of Immortal Monarchs, only for Immortal Monarch Changsheng—whom they had searched for years prior—to suddenly appear. Then came the battle. Qi had blasted Immortal Monarch Changsheng apart with a single blow, greatly pleasing the onlookers. What did Immortal Monarch Changsheng matter? He had still been shattered by their warrior! Given just a little more time, Qi would surely obliterate his physical body entirely and put an end to him. Yet things quickly went awry. Qi suddenly froze, standing motionless like a target and letting Lu Changsheng strike him freely. Although Lu Changsheng could not damage Qi's body, the immortal seemed to have changed tactics, using an unknown method to leave Qi standing dazed in the Chaos. "Something is wrong. Qi is in danger!" "You clan commander, go rescue Qi immediately! He is of royal blood and the younger brother of that lord—nothing must happen to him!" The upper echelon of the You clan dispatched a powerhouse at the commander rank. Among the You clan, a commander was equivalent to a Golden Immortal or Immortal Venerable. This demonstrated how gravely they took the matter. Yet could the commander arrive in time to save Qi? Time ticked by. Lu Changsheng gave his all, exhausting every effort to grind down Qi's consciousness. Sixty percent, seventy, eighty, ninety... Nearly ninety percent of Qi's consciousness had now been pulverized. "Aaargh! I cannot die!" "Lu Changsheng, you cannot kill me! If I die, my brother will never let you go!" "Unlike me, who hasn't even awakened our royal bloodline, my brother awakened his long ago! If you kill me, you will certainly die!" Qi roared frantically. Only ten percent of his consciousness remained. Even with just ten percent, so long as it was not completely extinguished, he could slowly recover in time. Yet Lu Changsheng turned a completely deaf ear to his threats, continuing to pour all his strength into crushing what remained. *Buzz.* Lu Changsheng could already feel the Chaos Qi churning violently not far away. A terrifying presence was rushing toward them at full tilt. An Immortal Venerable! It was certainly a You clan member on par with an Immortal Venerable. *Boom!* The You clan commander finally arrived. Even before fully revealing himself, a terrifying fist force surged through the void straight toward Lu Changsheng. Lu Changsheng remained motionless. *Bang!* In the next instant, Lu Changsheng's physical body exploded. Unsurprisingly, a single strike annihilated thirty percent of his body. Thirty percent! That was a horrifying figure. Thirty percent wiped out in a single blow, with every particle thoroughly erased. Two or three more punches, and Lu Changsheng would truly perish. Yet his Illusory Realm showed no sign of stopping. *Pfft!* At last, within the Illusory Realm, Qi's consciousness was completely eradicated. Without a second thought, Lu Changsheng instantly stuffed Qi's physical corpse into the space of his immortal treasure. "Go!" Lu Changsheng turned and fled, merging into the currents of Chaos Qi. "Stay right there!" The You clan commander roared, his terrifying fist force smashing into the Chaos Qi. The Chaos Qi churned violently, blasting the surrounding mists completely away. Yet what remained? The area was empty; Lu Changsheng had vanished without a trace. "He escaped? How is that possible?!" The commander's face darkened, and he surged forward in furious pursuit along the direction of Lu Changsheng's flight. Time ticked by. The commander also carried a mind stone, allowing many back at headquarters to watch through his eyes. From the moment the commander struck to when he gave chase, they watched intently. In the end, he lost the trail. There was no trace of Lu Changsheng left. As for Qi, his fate was painfully clear. He was dead. Qi had died! At that moment, the faces of countless You clan members at headquarters turned grim. For the first time, one of their royal bloodline had perished. In all the years of war against the immortals, not a single member of the royalty had fallen. Yet now, a royal had died—and at the hands of a mere Immortal Monarch. It was an earth-shattering event! Royalty held an exalted status within the You clan. What was more, Qi was no ordinary royal; he was the full brother of that lord! "We are in trouble." "Qi is dead. Who among us can bear that lord's fury?" The gathered You clan members looked at one another, at a loss for words. They had been careless. Qi had volunteered to hunt the mysterious expert in the Chaos, and with his strength, he should have been able to preserve his life even against a Golden Immortal Immortal Venerable. Yet he was dead. Killed by an Immortal Monarch. It was utterly unforeseen, leaving those at headquarters in an impossible position, wondering how they could possibly account for this to that lord. "Enough." "I shall explain to that lord myself." "Go investigate everything about Lu Changsheng right this moment. Remember, I want every scrap of information!" the leading You clan commander ordered. The others immediately dispersed to carry out the investigation. Qi's death was destined to send shockwaves throughout the You clan. Yet no one knew what would ultimately come of it. The focal point of it all, the center of the storm, was a single Immortal Monarch. Immortal Monarch Changsheng, Lu Changsheng! The You clan spared no expense, frantically digging up every shred of news regarding Lu Changsheng. Deep within the Chaos, a figure raced at top speed through endless plumes of Chaos Qi, as if fleeing a terrifying monster. "Phew..." Lu Changsheng let out a breath of relief. He could no longer sense any pursuit behind him, meaning he had indeed shaken off the You clan commander. Inspecting himself, he saw that thirty percent of his body was gone. A single strike had cost him nearly a third of his flesh; the You clan commander truly lived up to the title. Those particles had been annihilated down to the fundamental level. A few more strikes like that, and he truly would have died. Fortunately, he could merge into the Chaos Qi and ride its flow to escape with incredible speed, leaving even a You clan commander unable to keep pace. Nevertheless, despite the narrow escape, his harvest had been immense. He had obtained the complete corpse of a genuine You clan member—and a royal one at that. "I cannot remain in the Chaos any longer. The You clan has set their sights on me and even dispatched a commander. I currently have no way to contend with an expert of that level," Lu Changsheng muttered softly. In truth, he had quietly tested the Illusory Realm against the commander earlier. Yet the result had been strange. The Illusory Realm had enveloped the commander, but it seemed to encounter severe repulsion from the being. It drained a massive amount of the Illusory Realm's power without successfully halting the commander. Lu Changsheng could faintly tell that his Illusory Realm was still a step shy of handling a commander. Under these circumstances, he naturally would not linger in the Chaos. And so, Lu Changsheng began his return journey to the Immortal Palace. While Lu Changsheng was heading back, Immortal Monarch Baiyan and his companions had already arrived. Though Lu Changsheng had the aid of the Chaos Qi and moved swiftly, Baiyan had departed much earlier, allowing his group to reach the Immortal Palace first despite their slower pace. The first thing Baiyan did upon returning was report to an Immortal Venerable. "Quickly, I must report what happened with Immortal Monarch Changsheng to the Immortal Venerables! Come with me to bear witness!" Thus, Baiyan and the others went straight to report, eventually being brought before Immortal Venerable Kuhai. This was a Taiyi Immortal Venerable! At the sight of Immortal Venerable Kuhai, Baiyan and the others tensed, recognizing the immense gravity of the situation. It had actually alerted a Taiyi Immortal Venerable. Immortal Venerable Kuhai took the initiative to ask, "Speak quickly. What happened when you encountered Lu Changsheng?" Not daring to delay, Baiyan recounted everything in full detail: "Reporting to the Immortal Venerable, we ran into Immortal Monarch Changsheng in the Chaos; it was he who saved us. Later, he battled a member of the You clan named Qi and gained the upper hand. However, Qi carried a mind stone that gave away Changsheng's location, and the You clan seems to have been hunting him all along." "For our safety, Immortal Monarch Changsheng ordered us to leave immediately. Fearing that You clan powerhouses at the Immortal Venerable level would pursue him, we came directly to report and beg the Immortal Venerable to lend assistance..." The other Immortal Monarchs behind Baiyan spoke up one after another, corroborating his account. "Qi... that is royalty among the You clan..." "Lu Changsheng has truly been targeted by them..." Immortal Venerable Kuhai's expression darkened. Yet what could he do? Lu Changsheng carried no mind stone, and Kuhai had no way of knowing his location. "Have several Immortal Venerables sweep the Chaos to prevent the You clan from dispatching more commanders..." Immortal Venerable Kuhai decided. This was all he could do, hoping to alleviate some of the pressure on Lu Changsheng. Yet months passed without a word. Immortal Venerable Kuhai and the others could not help but feel their hearts sink. Lu Changsheng had not returned to the Immortal Palace. Had something truly happened to him? Lu Changsheng had no idea that even a Taiyi Immortal Venerable was fretting over his safety. He continued traveling through the Chaos for several months before the Immortal Palace finally came into view. This venture into the Chaos had lasted roughly eleven years in total. For ten of those years, he had been analyzing the Chaos Qi. Only in the final year had he actively hunted extraterrestrial beings. Yet during that single year, he had slain quite a large number—so many that he had not even bothered to keep count. *Whoosh.* At last, Lu Changsheng reached the Immortal Palace. Yet the moment he flew back inside, the entire Immortal Palace erupted into an uproar. ... Before the Immortal Monarch Surge List within the Immortal Palace... Many Immortal Monarchs gathered here around the clock. They monitored every ranking on the Immortal Monarch boards, especially the Surge List. Many Immortal Monarchs made sudden, meteoric rises on this list. First place on the Surge List was still held by Immortal Monarch Shenglong. Having earned 113,000 immortal merit in a single venture, he held an iron grip on the top spot. Naturally, no one felt jealous. After all, Immortal Monarch Shenglong had spent an entire century in the Chaos. He was a ruthless man! He had literally put his life on the line to trade for that first-place spot on the Surge List. One could only admire him; jealousy was out of the question. Yet all of a sudden, the entire Surge List blazed with blinding radiance. The board itself trembled. Immediately after, rays of golden light spilled from the list, and everyone saw a new name appear at the very top! The characters, overflowing with golden brilliance, were striking beyond words. The gathered immortals stood dumbfounded. They stared at the pinnacle of the Surge List, which was no longer occupied by Immortal Monarch Shenglong. Shenglong had been pushed down to second place. In first place stood "Immortal Monarch Changsheng." And behind his name, the immortal merit read: 158,000! *Boom!* The entire Immortal Palace was shaken. Countless Immortal Monarchs widened their eyes, staring fixedly at the Surge List in utter disbelief. What were they looking at? A brand-new name, yet one that was also overwhelmingly familiar. Immortal Monarch Changsheng! He had earned 158,000 immortal merit, seizing the top spot on the Surge List outright! This was simply... inconceivable! Even with the truth staring them in the face, many Immortal Monarchs found it hard to believe. "It's Immortal Monarch Changsheng, Lu Changsheng? The moment he arrived at the battlefield beyond the heavens, he secluded himself for fifty years, and then left for the Chaos... hasn't it been only about eleven years? Even after eleven years, how could he have gained 158,000 immortal merit?!" "Immortal Monarch Shenglong earned 113,000 immortal merit by staying in the Chaos for a full century, risking life and limb to scrape it together. Yet Immortal Monarch Changsheng completely blew past Shenglong in just eleven years! How did he do it?" "158,000 immortal merit... It's unimaginable..." "Didn't Immortal Monarch Baiyan spread word earlier that Changsheng had been targeted by the You clan, with even a You clan commander hunting him down? How could he have accumulated so much immortal merit under those conditions?" "Since Immortal Monarch Changsheng's name has appeared on the Surge List, it can only mean one thing: he has returned safely to the Immortal Palace. Even a You clan commander failed to keep him!" "A You clan commander is on par with an Immortal Venerable! To escape with his life from an expert at the Immortal Venerable level... with this kind of strength, he can truly run rampant among Immortal Monarchs!" "Immortal Monarch Changsheng ought to be deemed the number one Immortal Monarch in the Immortal Palace—no, in the entire Heaven Realm!" Witnessing the upheaval on the Surge List, countless immortals were left thoroughly awed.