Finally Emerging After Ten Years!

Three thousand six hundred flesh avatars. Each one was formed from flesh particles possessing physical immortality. It could be said they naturally possessed physical immortality. Yet the path Lu Changsheng intended to walk was clearly far more than just physical immortality. His three thousand six hundred avatars began madly devouring immortal spirit qi. A vast deluge of immortal spirit qi poured endlessly into each of them. Moreover, the avatars had no need to occupy themselves with anything else. They had only to focus single-mindedly on strengthening their physical bodies. Growing stronger was the sole purpose of their flesh! *Boom.* Lu Changsheng had no idea what an enormous commotion three thousand six hundred avatars devouring immortal spirit qi simultaneously would cause. Immortal spirit qi was ordinarily invisible. Yet now, a boundless sea of immortal spirit qi converged above Lu Changsheng's cave dwelling. The energy gathered in such density that it began to condense into tangible form. Before long, many within the Immortal Palace caught sight of the spectacle. "What is that? Immortal spirit qi?" "Why has so much immortal spirit qi gathered there?" "It has even condensed into physical substance!" "That direction... isn't that an Immortal Monarch's cave dwelling?" "Isn't Changsheng Immortal Monarch's residence right over there?" Several Immortal Monarchs seemed to remember. They even flew outside Lu Changsheng's cave dwelling to investigate. Looking up, they saw that the immortal spirit qi churning in the void hung directly above his abode. At once, the entire Immortal Palace was thrown into a stir. Even when a Golden Immortal Venerable cultivated, could they cause such an immense disturbance? How had Changsheng Immortal Monarch stirred up such a spectacle? Even several Immortal Venerables came to inspect it. Yet after a glance, the Immortal Venerables could only shake their heads. Lu Changsheng had still not emerged; he remained in absolute death seclusion, and they had no way of contacting him. Still, seeing such a vast commotion was a positive sign. It proved Lu Changsheng was genuinely cultivating rather than merely hiding in his cave dwelling. Naturally, that was the only comfort the Immortal Venerables could offer themselves at present. After all, the current situation was exceedingly unfavorable to the immortal race. Lu Changsheng was entirely unaware that his three thousand six hundred avatars simply cultivating had created such a massive stir. Not that it mattered. With time, the Immortal Monarchs would grow accustomed to it. Three or five days might provoke astonishment. What about three or five months? What about three or five years? As time wore on, no one would be surprised anymore. The growth of Lu Changsheng's three thousand six hundred avatars was not something that could reach an adequate realm in a short span. And his true body's recovery likewise required a long time. For now, all he could do was wait. One year, three years, five years, ten years... In the blink of an eye, over ten years slipped by. For every day Lu Changsheng remained in seclusion, Lin of the You clan swept through the Chaos without pause. The Immortal Monarchs within the Chaos suffered devastating losses. Once, several hundred Immortal Monarchs even joined forces, swearing to eradicate Lin. In the end, they indeed clashed with Lin. Yet after an earth-shattering battle, the hundreds of Immortal Monarchs were utterly crushed. Over a hundred Immortal Monarchs were killed or wounded! The Heavenly Court shook to its core. Several Immortal Venerables did not hesitate to intervene. Yet when the Immortal Venerables stepped in, commanders of the You clan took action as well. A brutal clash erupted between both sides, and several Immortal Venerables fell. The crisis threatened to escalate into an all-out war. Fortunately, a Taiyi Immortal Venerable intervened in time, preventing further escalation. Both sides restored their tacit understanding once more. Only combatants at the Immortal Monarch level would enter the Chaos to fight. Immortal Venerables would refrain from interfering for the time being. Both sides harbored reservations. Otherwise, total war would have already erupted from that single clash. Yet in battles at the Immortal Monarch level, the immortal race was currently at a massive disadvantage. They were simply no match. If they refused to enter the Chaos, the immortal race's territory would be squeezed back step by step. Eventually, the flames of war would be driven into the interior of the Heaven Realm. When that happened, the immortal race would truly be cornered. Yet the immortal race had no alternatives. They could only grit their teeth and endure! No one knew how much time had passed. On this day, all three thousand six hundred of Lu Changsheng's avatars advanced to the Ancestor Realm in unison. With that, Lu Changsheng had them halt their cultivation. Lu Changsheng understood clearly that these three thousand six hundred avatars had reached a temporary bottleneck. The Ancestor Realm could be attained simply through the ceaseless consumption of immortal spirit qi. Yet stepping from the Ancestor Realm into the Immortal Realm was a qualitative leap, one far from easy. It would likely require far more time. Besides, Lu Changsheng was currently only verifying his prior hypothesis. Even at the Ancestor Realm, it was more than enough! Thus, Lu Changsheng had the three thousand six hundred avatars stand together inside the cave dwelling. "Merge!" The next instant, the three thousand six hundred avatars all smiled, transforming into streams of flowing light that soared into Lu Changsheng's physical body. Lu Changsheng's body had achieved immortality long ago. Now, he began fusing one avatar after another into himself. They were his avatars to begin with, so merging them presented little difficulty. Yet there were simply too many. As a result, Lu Changsheng's body naturally began to expand. Lu Changsheng felt no surprise at this physical expansion. It was only natural. The stronger the You clan's bodies grew, the more colossal they became. The same had been true for that supreme entity. The greater the strength, the more gigantic the body. As all three thousand six hundred avatars merged into him, Lu Changsheng felt his physical body surge with unprecedented power! It felt as though some invisible shackle had been shattered. A shackle of the flesh! No, it could not truly be called shattering the shackles of the flesh. Lu Changsheng could feel it clearly. His bottleneck remained. His true body was still his true body. He had not broken through. That was virtually the limit of the immortal race. Yet with so many avatars merged into his true body, it was like piecing together fragments of a puzzle. Even as a mere assembly, the resultant strength was astonishing. So long as there were enough avatars. This was merely three thousand six hundred. What if there were thirty-six thousand, or three hundred and sixty million? One had to remember that the flesh particles throughout Lu Changsheng's body were practically boundless in number. If every single flesh particle could reach the Ancestor Realm, how terrifying would that be? And if, over vast stretches of time, every single flesh particle reached the True Immortal level? That would be beyond imagination! However, Lu Changsheng also detected a limitation. What limited the number of avatars was, in fact, his consciousness. His consciousness could not sustain too many avatars at once. In other words, he could not control them. If he could not control them, what purpose would having more avatars serve? They could not be put to use. Thus, while the flesh had limits, consciousness was boundless. As far as his consciousness reached, that was how strong his physical body could become. What constrained Lu Changsheng's physical strength right now was not his flesh, but his consciousness! "Consciousness..." Lu Changsheng had never imagined that a day would come when he would seek to strengthen his consciousness. All along, his consciousness had grown passively. As his cultivation advanced, his consciousness had naturally grown stronger and stronger alongside it. There had never been any need to cultivate it deliberately. Yet now, Lu Changsheng needed to bolster his consciousness—he required an exceptionally formidable one. Lu Changsheng thought of the Illusory Realm. The Illusory Realm was the ultimate embodiment of spirit and consciousness. Within the Illusory Realm, Lu Changsheng's consciousness was omnipotent, an invincible existence. *If, one day, the Illusory Realm could merge with my physical body...* Lu Changsheng considered the possibility. How immense was the consciousness contained within the Illusory Realm? If he could wield the consciousness of the Illusory Realm to govern his flesh, his physical growth would have virtually no limit. Perhaps he could truly become like that supreme entity, eventually growing into a terrifying existence capable of shaking the Chaos itself. It might sound like a pipe dream. Yet what if it succeeded? "Let's test it." Lu Changsheng enveloped his physical body within the Illusory Realm. Or rather, he enveloped every single avatar. Sure enough, it worked. So long as the Illusory Realm was active, forget three thousand six hundred avatars—even three hundred and sixty million would pose no issue at all. Yet the reality was that Lu Changsheng would need to keep the Illusory Realm covering every avatar at all times. That was clearly impossible. Unleashing the Illusory Realm even once imposed a burden on him. Maintaining the Illusory Realm perpetually was utterly out of the question. Perhaps one day the Illusory Realm would advance further, reaching a state where it could be sustained indefinitely. For now, however, that was impossible. "The current limit of my consciousness should allow me to control several tens of thousands of avatars at once," Lu Changsheng estimated. His consciousness had its bounds as well. Being able to maintain several tens of thousands of avatars at his current limit was already remarkable. "Divide!" Without the slightest hesitation, Lu Changsheng separated out another forty-five thousand four hundred flesh particles. These flesh particles each transformed into an avatar. Together with the prior three thousand six hundred avatars, they totaled exactly forty-nine thousand avatars. This was roughly the utmost limit of Lu Changsheng's consciousness! Yet if all forty-nine thousand avatars transformed into the Ancestor Realm, Lu Changsheng's true might would be earth-shattering. "With over forty thousand avatars, relying solely on absorbing immortal spirit qi to reach the Ancestor Realm would take who knows how many ages. "I have so much immortal merit. I can exchange it for all kinds of cultivation resources, which will maximize the cultivation speed of these forty-thousand-odd avatars." Lu Changsheng calculated the time; roughly ten years had passed. It was time to exit seclusion and have a look around. He could also take the opportunity to exchange for a vast quantity of cultivation resources. And so, after ten years of seclusion, Lu Changsheng finally emerged! Outside his cave dwelling, visitors had long grown scarce. Hardly anyone came anymore. After all, ten full years had passed. Everyone knew Lu Changsheng had entered death seclusion. In death seclusion, unless he chose to come out himself, no one could summon him. Keeping watch served no purpose. Thus, no one could have anticipated that on such an ordinary day, the doors of Lu Changsheng's cave dwelling swung open, and a figure stepped forth. Lu Changsheng walked out of his abode. He looked around. The Immortal Palace looked the same as ever, unchanged. He checked the immortal dharmic power within his body. At all times, his body automatically refined immortal dharmic power. Previously, he had possessed around sixty strands. Now that ten years had passed, it had increased to roughly seventy strands. He was not far from a hundred strands of immortal dharmic power. Lu Changsheng then checked his immortal merit. Over the ten years, one thousand immortal merit had been deducted. He had one hundred and fifty-nine thousand three hundred immortal merit remaining. This was an enormous sum, more than enough to exchange for a vast hoard of cultivation supplies. With that in mind, Lu Changsheng transformed into a streak of flowing light and flew toward the Exchange Hall. He arrived at the Exchange Hall in short order. The Exchange Hall was perhaps the liveliest place in the Heavenly Court's Immortal Palace. Immortal Monarchs bustled in and out. Even Golden Immortal Venerables did the same. All needed to exchange for resources. Yet Lu Changsheng faintly sensed a pervasive gloom hanging over these Immortal Monarchs and Immortal Venerables. Yes, a distinct dispiritedness. As if they had suffered a tremendous blow. Had things gone poorly on the battlefield beyond the heavens? Lu Changsheng had no idea what had transpired over the past decade. He intended to inquire about it shortly. Yet as Lu Changsheng walked through the Exchange Hall, the first Immortal Monarch to spot him froze slightly. The man seemed to be racking his memory, wondering why the figure looked so familiar. Then came a second, a third, a fourth, a fifth... Until many Immortal Monarchs throughout the Exchange Hall noticed Lu Changsheng. Instantly, the entire hall fell dead silent. Every Immortal Monarch stared at Lu Changsheng with exceedingly strange expressions. Lu Changsheng was somewhat puzzled. Why had everyone gone quiet upon seeing him? "Changsheng Immortal Monarch... are you Changsheng Immortal Monarch?" an Immortal Monarch finally could not resist asking. "It is I," Lu Changsheng replied with a nod. He was well aware that he had some fame within the Immortal Palace. Even so, was such an exaggerated reaction necessary? Every single one of them was staring at him. After all, he was not even an Immortal Venerable. Even if he had achieved some feats in the Chaos, with so many immortals in the Exchange Hall—and even several Immortal Venerables wearing that same look of shock—it struck Lu Changsheng as decidedly bizarre. *Boom.* Following the silence, a tremendous uproar erupted. "It's Lu Changsheng! It's really Lu Changsheng! He... he's out of seclusion!" "Changsheng Immortal Monarch has actually emerged? He must have just come out. Wonderful!" "Changsheng Immortal Monarch, you've finally emerged..." "Quick, inform Immortal Venerable Kuhai..." Instantly, the immortals were in a frenzy. No one could fathom how they had endured these past ten years. The Immortal Monarchs, and even the Immortal Venerables, had pinned their hopes on Lu Changsheng. Naturally, some Immortal Monarchs shook their heads in secret. Lu Changsheng emerging now was hardly wise. An invisible pressure from the entire Heavenly Court would soon weigh upon him, urging him to duel Lin. Yet Lin had severely wounded even an Immortal Venerable; his strength was that of a genuine Immortal Venerable. For Lu Changsheng to duel Lin now—wouldn't that be seeking his own death? It would have been better had he remained in seclusion. Now that he was out, many matters would no longer be under his control. Watching the Exchange Hall erupt into chaos, Lu Changsheng remained in the dark about what had happened. He simply walked up to the counter and addressed the immortal attendant, "Exchange for immortal crystals. Let's start with one hundred thousand immortal merit's worth." "You wish to exchange one hundred thousand immortal merit for immortal crystals?" "Yes. Is there a problem?" "No problem at all." One hundred thousand immortal merit's worth of immortal crystals was an astronomical quantity. However, the Heavenly Court's resources were exceedingly abundant. Backing the entire Heaven Realm, how could the Heavenly Court lack supplies? Moreover, exchanging for immortal crystals in the Heavenly Court was remarkably cheap. Lu Changsheng trading one hundred thousand immortal merit yielded an endless mountain of crystals, filling his immortal treasure's storage space to the brim. *Buzz.* The next instant, a voice transmitted into Lu Changsheng's ear. "Lu Changsheng, come with me to the Immortal Venerable Hall. Immortal Venerable Kuhai summons you!" Lu Changsheng turned to look; it was an Immortal Venerable! "Immortal Venerable Kuhai?" Lu Changsheng naturally knew of Immortal Venerable Kuhai. He was an exalted Taiyi Immortal Venerable. He governed virtually all the Immortal Monarchs and Immortal Venerables in this sector, possessing supreme status. Why would this Taiyi Immortal Venerable summon him now? And to the Immortal Venerable Hall, no less? Lu Changsheng had many questions, but he kept them to himself for the moment and followed the Immortal Venerable toward the Immortal Venerable Hall. Many Immortal Monarchs remained in the Exchange Hall. Seeing Lu Changsheng emerge from seclusion, they all knew a storm was brewing. The Immortal Monarchs quickly spread the word. Soon, nearly the entire Immortal Palace learned that Lu Changsheng had come out of seclusion. Lu Changsheng arrived at the Immortal Venerable Hall. He pushed open the heavy doors and stepped inside. By rights, as a mere Immortal Monarch, he was not qualified to enter the Immortal Venerable Hall. Yet as Lu Changsheng walked in, he saw figure after figure—every single one an Immortal Venerable, and several even Taiyi Immortal Venerables. Their gazes all fell upon him. Moreover, those gazes were exceedingly grave. There was even a trace of complexity in their eyes. Lu Changsheng did not know what had occurred. Yet seeing so many Immortal Venerables looking so grim, he faintly guessed that something critical had happened on the battlefield beyond the heavens, and it almost certainly concerned him. Lu Changsheng searched his memory. Matters involving him were few and far between. Could it be related to his slaying of Qi of the You clan last time? After all, Qi possessed royal bloodline within the You clan. His status seemed rather high. Only a matter of that scale could draw the attention of the exalted Taiyi Immortal Venerables. "Greetings, Immortal Venerables!" Lu Changsheng bowed slightly, as all present were Immortal Venerables. Seated at the very head was naturally Immortal Venerable Kuhai. His piercing gaze rested upon Lu Changsheng, yet it carried no oppressive aura. Clearly, Immortal Venerable Kuhai harbored goodwill toward Lu Changsheng. "Lu Changsheng, ten years. I did not expect it would take ten years for you to emerge..." Immortal Venerable Kuhai's expression was complicated. The current predicament was certainly not Lu Changsheng's fault. It was simply because the immortal race was weaker than the You clan. That was the sole reason. When Lu Changsheng had entered seclusion back then and missed the duel with Lin, it had actually been a stroke of fortune in retrospect. Had Lu Changsheng gone to fight, what would the outcome have been? With Lin's strength, Lu Changsheng would likely have perished. Naturally, the same held true now. So long as Lu Changsheng had not attained the Golden Immortal Venerable realm, he would remain incapable of contending with Lin. "Immortal Venerable Kuhai, what on earth has happened? Please speak plainly..." Lu Changsheng asked. Ever since emerging, he had felt that something was amiss at every turn. Some unforeseen development had likely occurred on the battlefield beyond the heavens without his knowledge. For so many Immortal Venerables to convene a council specifically for him meant it had to be of paramount importance. Regardless of what it was, Lu Changsheng needed to understand the full sequence of events. "Lu Changsheng, the matter is not complicated. It all begins with the Qi you slew..." Immortal Venerable Kuhai withheld nothing. He recounted the entire affair in thorough detail. The matter was indeed straightforward, and Lu Changsheng understood quickly. Qi had an elder brother, also of royal bloodline, named Lin. Lu Changsheng had already known this. What he had not known was that Lin had publicly challenged him to a duel. Crucially, the deadline for that duel had passed ten years ago. Because he had been in death seclusion, he had failed to appear. Lin had subsequently swept through the Chaos in relentless retribution. Day after day, for ten whole years. He had forced the immortal race into a thoroughly passive stance, compelling them to retreat step by step, even forcing their defensive perimeter back repeatedly. Naturally, it was not that Lin alone had backed the immortal race into this corner. At the root of it, the immortal race was simply weaker than the You clan. They dared not provoke an all-out war. Otherwise, had a Taiyi Immortal Venerable stepped in and slain Lin directly, how could a mere Immortal Monarch-level You clan member have acted with such insolence? Yet the Taiyi Immortal Venerables could not intervene. The moment they did, total war between the immortal race and the You clan would erupt. When that happened, even Dao Masters would be drawn in. Even so, Lin remained the catalyst, the pivotal figure. If Lin could be dealt with—and dealt with strictly within the bounds of the Immortal Monarch level—the immortal race's circumstances would vastly improve. They could return to their previous equilibrium, where combatants at the Immortal Monarch level clashed in the Chaos without being subjected to Lin's repeated sweeps and heavy slaughter. "So, what Immortal Venerable Kuhai and the rest of you mean is that you want me to accept the duel, correct? "At that point, regardless of who wins or loses between Lin and me, this matter will be brought to an end. If I lose, Lin will cease his rampage, and the immortal race and You clan can return to how things were, clashing in the Chaos as before. "As for whether I am a match for Lin, or whether I will die—to the immortal race, that is of no consequence. Am I right?" Lu Changsheng spoke in a calm, even tone. "No." Immortal Venerable Kuhai shook his head. "Lu Changsheng, you are mistaken. You are not unimportant—on the contrary, you are of paramount importance! "Our immortal race needs a future, and you possess that future. An Immortal Venerable, or even a Taiyi Immortal Venerable, is by no means your end point. "Your future is vast, and we will never choose to sacrifice you. "We summoned you here today precisely to inform you of these matters. Continuing in death seclusion is the best path for you. Perhaps after a hundred years, or a thousand, Lin will tire of sweeping the Chaos. "In any case, with the immortal merit you possess, it is more than enough to sustain your seclusion for over a thousand years." Immortal Venerable Kuhai stated his stance plainly. That was indeed his intention. It would be best for Lu Changsheng to remain in seclusion. He must not come out. Because once he did, he would be subjected to all manner of pressures. If Lu Changsheng acted on impulse and accepted the challenge, the loss would far outweigh any gain. The immortal race was determined to protect Lu Changsheng at all costs. With Immortal Venerable Kuhai's discernment, how could he fail to recognize Lu Changsheng's talent? Such talent was not the least bit inferior to Lin's royal bloodline. How could the immortal race ever choose to sacrifice Lu Changsheng? At present, the immortal race had only one strategy: To stall! To keep stalling indefinitely. As long as the Heaven Realm was not breached, this war could continue. A single Lin might cause the immortal race utter humiliation and distress, but it was not enough to make them lose the war. Lu Changsheng smiled. He nodded, acknowledging Immortal Venerable Kuhai's words. Then, Lu Changsheng spoke slowly, "Immortal Venerable Kuhai, although what you say makes complete sense, I have no intention of avoiding battle. "Not knowing before was one thing. Now that I know, how could I shrink from it? "Perhaps the Immortal Venerable does not know, but throughout my cultivation journey, I have never once fled from a fight. I did not in the past, I do not now, and I will not in the future! "I must trouble the Immortal Venerable to pass word to the You clan. Tell them that the deadline for Lin's duel has long expired, and thus is null and void. But things are different now—it is I who challenge Lin. "Ten years from now, we shall battle in the Chaos—life or death, no quarter given!" *Boom.* The moment Lu Changsheng's words fell, the entire Immortal Venerable Hall shook. No one could have imagined that Lu Changsheng had no intention of merely accepting the fight. Instead, he was issuing a challenge of his own! He had taken the initiative to challenge Lin, setting the deadline ten years from now! Ten years later, a duel to the death in the Chaos!