Is Lu Changsheng the Child of Destiny? Surrounded by Eighteen You Clan Grand Commanders!

Shengyuan suddenly realized that none of his companions were moving. Yet just as he tried to take action, a terrifying power seemed to weigh down from all directions, suppressing him directly. Even he could not move an inch. "What?" "Impossible! I possess the noble saint bloodline. At the commander level, even if I am not invincible, I am among the absolute pinnacle. You are in the same realm as me—how could you possibly suppress me so easily?" Shengyuan's eyes went wide, his mind shaken to the core. He could not believe he was pinned in place, unable even to twitch. If a grand commander—in other words, an existence at the Taiyi Immortal Venerable level—had achieved this, he would not have been surprised. But Lu Changsheng was merely an Immortal Venerable, possessing the exact same cultivation realm as himself. How could he be suppressed so effortlessly? Yet no matter how indignant or frantic Shengyuan grew, he remained utterly incapable of breaking free from the restraint. He truly was suppressed. Even struggling was entirely futile. For a moment, Shengyuan could hardly believe his eyes. Why was this happening? He had vowed with utter confidence to seek out Lu Changsheng and slay him to win fame across the You clan! And yet, the reality differed completely from his expectations. He might very well end up becoming nothing more than a stepping stone for Lu Changsheng. "Obliterate!" With a single thought from Lu Changsheng, his Illusory Realm began grinding away at Shengyuan's consciousness. If it had been his former Illusory Realm, grinding down the consciousness of a peer expert from one of the You clan's three great bloodlines would have been nearly impossible. But Lu Changsheng's Illusory Realm was no longer the same. The "River of Time" had been born within it. Everything had been set in motion. The total consummation of the Illusory Realm had caused its might to skyrocket dramatically, making its consciousness strength nearly equivalent to that of a Taiyi Immortal Venerable. Consequently, using the power of the Illusory Realm to crush Shengyuan's consciousness was effortless. *Crack.* Shengyuan's consciousness proved as fragile as glass, shattering completely. Ten percent, twenty percent, thirty percent, forty percent, fifty percent... Half of Shengyuan's consciousness was obliterated. In that brief span, the consciousness of the other You clan commanders had already been wiped out. Endowed with the saint bloodline, Shengyuan was naturally extraordinary, allowing him to hold out slightly longer. Sixty percent, seventy percent, eighty percent, ninety percent... Finally, the entirety of Shengyuan's consciousness was eradicated. Fragments of memory surfaced one after another in Lu Changsheng's mind, but these were of little importance. What truly mattered were the physical bodies of the thirteen You clan commanders—or rather, their corpses. Now that the commanders' bodies were devoid of consciousness, they could be stored inside an immortal treasure space. "Collect." With a sweep of his broad sleeve, Lu Changsheng gathered up the thirteen corpses of the You clan commanders. The entire area instantly emptied. The entire process had taken only a fleeting moment. The Immortal Monarchs Lu Changsheng had just rescued had not even recovered from their daze before it was all over. These Immortal Monarchs were far from ignorant. Thirteen You clan commanders were equivalent to thirteen Golden Immortals or Immortal Venerables. Furthermore, one among them possessed the saint bloodline, one of the three great bloodlines of the You clan. Such a lineup, while perhaps not able to sweep the entire battlefield, was undeniably invincible and hard-pressed to find a match. Yet such a force had now suffered total annihilation, slain single-handedly by Lu Changsheng. One had to remember that Lu Changsheng had only recently broken through to Golden Immortal. "Immortal Venerable Changsheng, you... slew thirteen You clan commanders?" an Immortal Monarch asked, still struggling to believe it. "More or less. Be careful out on the battlefield..." With those parting words, Lu Changsheng transformed into a streak of light and vanished without a trace. Watching him depart, the Immortal Monarchs looked at one another, their eyes ablaze with fervency. It was often said that seeing once was better than hearing a hundred times, and it was undeniably true. Back then, rumors surrounding Lu Changsheng had been endless, especially regarding the decisive chaos battle. Although they had not witnessed Lu Changsheng slaying Lin in person, they had heard a great deal about it. Yet no amount of hearsay could match the shock of seeing it with their own eyes. Now they had witnessed it for themselves. It truly surpassed imagination. The shock in their hearts ran deep. A full thirteen You clan commanders had been struck down with a wave of his hand. With such strength, even a Taiyi Immortal Venerable was probably nothing more than this, right? "Let us return quickly. We cannot stay here any longer..." one of the Immortal Monarchs urged. They understood very well that Lu Changsheng's entry into the battlefield, coupled with his immense strength, would likely lead him to sweep across the entire war zone. Would the You clan take that lying down? When the time came, a chaotic melee at the Taiyi Immortal Venerable level might erupt. Remaining on the battlefield would be far too perilous. Pulling back was the most urgent priority. Thus, the group of Immortal Monarchs flew toward the Heaven Realm without delay. Lu Changsheng did not return to the Heaven Realm. He had entered the battlefield to harvest immortal merit. How could he stop so early? An extraterrestrial lifeform at the Venerable level yielded between one thousand and five thousand immortal merit. Of course, members of the You clan were worth much more, generally around five thousand. If it was a You clan commander of the three great bloodlines, the bounty reached ten thousand immortal merit, rivaling that of an ordinary Taiyi Immortal Venerable. This alone demonstrated the importance the immortal race placed on the three great bloodlines of the You clan. Lu Changsheng had just slain twelve You clan commanders, earning sixty thousand immortal merit. Adding the roughly three thousand five hundred from ordinary You clan members he had slain earlier, along with the ten thousand from Shengyuan, he had accumulated seventy-three thousand five hundred immortal merit in a short period. This truly was a "harvest" of immortal merit. It seemed almost too easy. However, Lu Changsheng was well aware that it had not actually been easy at all. Had his Illusory Realm not achieved consummation, encountering Shengyuan would have been quite troublesome. An unconsummated Illusory Realm certainly would not have been able to wipe out Shengyuan's consciousness. As for fighting with avatars, though Lu Changsheng had advanced to Immortal Venerable, the number of his avatars had not increased. He still possessed only forty-nine thousand. Without a consummated Illusory Realm, the outcome of a battle between Lu Changsheng and Shengyuan would have been uncertain. Naturally, even if Lu Changsheng could not defeat Shengyuan, Shengyuan certainly would not have been able to harm him either. But with a consummated Illusory Realm, everything changed. Facing Shengyuan was an absolute curb-stomp. With a consummated Illusory Realm, Lu Changsheng could overpower any You clan member at the Immortal Venerable level! This was true invincibility among peers! Even so, Lu Changsheng was in no hurry to sweep the area. He chose an arbitrary spot on the battlefield to settle down. Although the fighting was fierce, the battlefield was vast. One did not simply run into others at every turn. Moreover, Lu Changsheng could sense his surroundings. The reason he stopped was to attempt cultivating more avatars. His current offensive methods relied too heavily on the Illusory Realm. What if he faced a foe the Illusory Realm could not subdue? Previously, Lu Changsheng's greatest trump card had been the terrifying might unleashed by fusing his avatars. Now, however, forty-nine thousand avatars could no longer keep pace with his realm. He needed to cultivate more. As for the consciousness that had once limited his avatar cultivation, the consummation of the Illusory Realm had temporarily eliminated that bottleneck. The remaining requirement was resources. Lu Changsheng had planned to trade immortal merit for cultivation resources, but having acquired the corpses of thirteen You clan commanders changed matters entirely. Every one of these commander corpses held earth-shattering power. Using them to cultivate Ancestor Realm avatars would be child's play. No sooner thought than done. Thus, Lu Changsheng prepared to cultivate right there on the battlefield. "Begin." Lu Changsheng began dividing off avatar after avatar. Ten, a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand... He first split off ten thousand avatars using his flesh particles. Each avatar consisted of only a single flesh particle, utterly minuscule. Next came nurturing these avatars to maturity. Furthermore, Lu Changsheng was no longer what he used to be. Refining the flesh and blood of You clan commanders to cultivate avatars was exceedingly simple for him. "Refine." The corpses of the You clan commanders were swiftly refined, and an abundant essence of flesh and blood was distributed among the ten thousand avatars. As the days passed, the aura of the ten thousand avatars swelled rapidly, like inflating balloons. In just a single year, all ten thousand of Lu Changsheng's physical bodies had expanded to the Ancestor Realm. Yet one crucial step remained: merging them into his true body to see if he could control so many avatars. "Fuse." In the next instant, the avatars merged into his true body one after another. Ten thousand, twenty thousand, thirty thousand, forty thousand, fifty thousand... In the end, fifty-nine thousand physical bodies integrated entirely into his true body. Lu Changsheng transformed into a thousand-zhang giant, radiating an even more terrifying aura that far surpassed that of an ordinary Immortal Venerable. "Previously, forty-nine thousand avatars was the limit of my control. Now, with the Illusory Realm consummated, I can effortlessly handle fifty-nine thousand physical bodies, with plenty of strength to spare. "I wonder what the upper limit of avatars a consummated Illusory Realm can control truly is?" Lu Changsheng's heart stirred with anticipation. Thus, he continued to divide off more avatars. Ten thousand avatars had consumed the refined flesh of merely two You clan commander corpses. It was an extraordinary bargain. Lifeforms of the You clan at the Immortal Venerable level truly were extraordinary. Lu Changsheng continued dividing avatars: twenty thousand, thirty thousand, forty thousand, fifty thousand, sixty thousand, seventy thousand... Ultimately, he cultivated seventy-one thousand additional avatars and brought every one of them to consummation. Adding the initial ten thousand over one year, Lu Changsheng spent a total of seven years raising all these avatars to the Ancestor Realm. Moreover, he could sense that this was still not his limit. He could control even more avatars. Unfortunately, the corpses of the You clan commanders were entirely exhausted. Even Shengyuan's body had yielded many avatars, but it still fell short of saturating his capacity. Lu Changsheng promptly summoned his status panel to inspect his current condition: Host: Lu Changsheng Comprehension: Top-Tier Comprehension Red Dust Dao Fruit: Consummated (Illusory Realm divine ability) Myriad Spirits Dao Fruit: 90% (Devour Spirit divine ability) Flesh and Blood Dao Fruit: 90% (Mighty Power divine ability) Avatar Fusion Physical Method: 120,000 avatars On the status panel, the number of Lu Changsheng's avatars had reached one hundred twenty thousand—more than double his previous count. The power unleashed by merging one hundred twenty thousand physical bodies would be earth-shattering. And this was not yet his limit. If pushed to the extreme, how many could he hold? Two hundred thousand? Perhaps even three hundred thousand? Lu Changsheng believed both were entirely possible. "I must continue hunting You clan commanders and use their flesh to nurture avatars, to see just how many I can truly control at my current limit," Lu Changsheng muttered under his breath. His heart burned with excitement. He had not anticipated that consummating the Illusory Realm would bolster his consciousness to such an extent; he had still underestimated the impact of its consummation. With that, Lu Changsheng set out once more to sweep across the battlefield. *** At You clan headquarters, members of the three great bloodlines gathered together. Those of royal bloodlines, saint bloodlines, and imperial bloodlines all wore grave expressions. "Seven years have passed. According to the latest battlefield reports, Lu Changsheng has appeared once again." As one of the You clan grand commanders spoke, the entire headquarters hall buzzed with commotion. "It is that Lu Changsheng again. Back when he was an Immortal Monarch, he slew Qi and Lin. Seven years ago, after becoming an Immortal Venerable, he killed Commander Shengyuan. He is practically invincible among his peers; not even our three great bloodlines are his match." "It is said that Lu Changsheng has also embarked on the cultivation path of a World Master, making him a dire threat to our clan." "Far more than just a World Master! Lu Changsheng appears to have shattered the shackles of the immortal race's frail physique. His physical body rivals—or even surpasses—those of our three great bloodlines. Could this youth be the child of destiny of the Heaven Realm? Only the child of destiny of a chaos world could cultivate in such an unfathomable manner and create miracle after miracle." "A child of destiny... that would indeed be troublesome. Still, it is not as though we have never encountered children of destiny before. There is only one way to deal with them: strike with thunderous momentum and absolute superiority to crush them instantly. We cannot send experts of comparable strength; otherwise, we are merely sending nourishment and providing them with a whetstone. Given the strength Lu Changsheng has demonstrated, sending a King-level expert would be the safest route. In fact, an Emperor should personally take action to ensure absolute certainty!" "Indeed, having an Emperor strike would be ideal. At the very least, it must be a King-level expert. As for grand commanders, they are merely one realm above Lu Changsheng. If he truly is a child of destiny, an advantage of just a single realm may not suffice to bring him down..." For a time, the You clan members voiced differing opinions, all debating the exploits of Lu Changsheng. They wanted him eliminated. Yet doing so was fraught with difficulty. No one had expected the Heaven Realm to birth a child of destiny so quickly. Of course, Lu Changsheng was merely suspected of being one. For a chaos world to give birth to a child of destiny was no simple matter. The chaos world had to face a tremendous, even existential threat. Furthermore, the world had to possess its own will, and a reasonably potent one at that, before a child of destiny could emerge. At present, the Heaven Realm appeared to meet neither condition. As for threats, the You clan had converted only a minuscule territory; how could that count as an existential crisis? Regarding whether the Heaven Realm had developed a powerful will, that remained uncertain. But if it truly possessed a potent will, the You clan's conversion of a portion of its territory would not have proceeded so smoothly. In all likelihood, the Heaven Realm lacked a particularly powerful will. Therefore, Lu Changsheng's status as a child of destiny remained doubtful. "Having an Emperor intervene is utterly out of the question. The Emperors and King-level experts are closely monitored by the Dao Ancestors of the Heaven Realm. There is no opportunity for them to act. The moment they move, the Dao Ancestors will intervene, making it equally difficult to kill Lu Changsheng. "Grand commanders, on the other hand, do not draw the Dao Ancestors' undivided attention. To eliminate Lu Changsheng, we can only deploy experts at the grand commander level. Yet among the three great bloodlines, which grand commander possesses the absolute confidence to guarantee his death?" a King-level You clan member asked, casting a sweeping gaze across the room. None of the You clan members of the three great bloodlines spoke. Any grand commander from the three great bloodlines was undoubtedly extraordinary. But could they truly kill Lu Changsheng? That was far from certain. Nor was anyone eager to take the risk. "If we must deploy grand commanders and ensure absolute success, we need only send greater numbers." "Agreed. Numbers can compensate. Mobilizing over a hundred would cause too much of a stir, but dispatching a dozen or so should pose no problem." "A dozen or so top grand commanders joining forces represents an immense power. Even if Lu Changsheng truly is a child of destiny, without reinforcements from their top experts, he will surely die." "To ensure nothing goes awry, let us send eighteen grand commanders. All eighteen must be grand commanders of the three great bloodlines, with six provided by each. What say you all?" The grand commanders of the three great bloodlines exchanged glances before nodding in agreement. Eighteen top grand commanders, all belonging to the three great bloodlines. This time, to deal with Lu Changsheng, the You clan was holding nothing back, daring not underestimate him in the slightest! *** Back on the battlefield, Lu Changsheng opened his eyes once more. "One hundred eighty thousand avatars, and still not at the limit..." Even Lu Changsheng was astonished. During this period, he had been continuously harvesting immortal merit across the battlefield, amassing over one hundred thirty thousand. Beyond simply harvesting merit, he had cultivated his avatars to one hundred eighty thousand—a staggering figure. Merging one hundred eighty thousand physical bodies could effortlessly obliterate any expert at the You clan commander level. Lu Changsheng even suspected that You clan grand commanders might be nothing more than that to him. Thus far, however, he had yet to encounter a You clan grand commander. Having met virtually no worthy adversary on the battlefield, Lu Changsheng had naturally lowered his guard over time. After all, he had spent a full thirteen years here, mostly refining You clan corpses and cultivating avatars. He planned to return to the Heaven Realm once he pushed his avatars to their absolute limit. On this day, as usual, Lu Changsheng eliminated another batch of You clan commanders. There were only a few of them. Though they appeared alert and attempted to flee, the Illusory Realm suppressed them nonetheless. Against You clan commanders, he did not even need to employ his avatars; the Illusory Realm alone was sufficient! *Hum.* Suddenly, faint ripples stirred across the battlefield. Lu Changsheng sensed that something was amiss. Though the ripple seemed ordinary, a warning bell rang in his mind. "Leave!" Lu Changsheng moved to depart immediately, but it was already too late. "Stay!" A thunderous shout echoed, accompanied by a colossal hand that blotted out the sky. In the distance, Lu Changsheng saw eighteen You clan experts flying toward him from who knew where. Furthermore, judging by their auras, they were definitely not commanders—they were grand commanders! A full eighteen grand commanders. Without a second thought, Lu Changsheng moved to flee, only to be obstructed by one of the grand commanders. Though the delay lasted merely an instant, the eighteen grand commanders seized the opportunity to encircle him completely. Lu Changsheng looked in all directions, his heart sinking. These eighteen You clan grand commanders had somehow approached him without making a sound, leaving him utterly baffled as to how they had accomplished it. It was likely some secret method, or perhaps assistance from a You clan Emperor; only that could have allowed them to draw near without alerting him. At this thought, Lu Changsheng immediately transmitted a message to Pan Ancestor: "Pan Ancestor, save me!" The moment Lu Changsheng's message was dispatched, Pan Ancestor, residing within Dao Ancestor Hall, snapped his eyes open. *Swish.* Pan Ancestor took a single stride and arrived directly at the boundary between the Heaven Realm and the You clan battlefield. Just as Pan Ancestor was about to step onto the battlefield, a voice entered his ears: "Pan Ancestor, if you wish to enter the battlefield, this seat shall accompany you!" It was an Emperor. A terrifying imperial body spanned the void, gleaming like a massive star and radiating unimaginable majesty. His mere aura was enough to warp the surrounding space. Such was an Emperor! So long as they were outside the Heaven Realm, where a Dao Ancestor could not draw upon the realm's origin power, an Emperor was in no way inferior to a Dao Ancestor. In fact, purely in terms of physical combat prowess, an Emperor might even hold a slight advantage over a Dao Ancestor. Of course, it depended on the specific Dao Ancestor in question. Pan Ancestor was the very first Dao Ancestor of the Heaven Realm, immensely ancient, possessing an endless array of techniques and fearsome treasures. Consequently, his combat power was formidable enough that ordinary Emperors were no match for him. Yet the Emperor before him was no ordinary Emperor. It was Emperor Moluo! Renowned as one of the three great Emperors of the You clan, he was an Emperor of the imperial bloodline. Such an Emperor possessed terrifying might, and for him to intercept Pan Ancestor so swiftly meant he had undoubtedly been lying in wait, anticipating Pan Ancestor's arrival. Pan Ancestor's heart sank. "You have made a move against Lu Changsheng?" "Indeed. "Lu Changsheng is likely the child of destiny of your Heaven Realm, is he not? Even if he isn't, we would never allow him to sweep through the battlefield with such reckless abandon." Emperor Moluo's words caused Pan Ancestor's heart to grow heavy. "How dare you?!" Pan Ancestor erupted in fury. If they wanted a fight, so be it. He feared nothing! *Rumble!* Instantly, the entire Heaven Realm and the territory converted by the You clan trembled violently. The moment Pan Ancestor struck, the Great Dao manifested, unleashing world-shaking might. Emperor Moluo was not to be outdone, likewise revealing a colossal, terrifying physique that clashed against Pan Ancestor. Regardless, Pan Ancestor was successfully tied down. Shortly thereafter, the remaining six Dao Ancestors appeared. All seven Dao Ancestors of the Heaven Realm now manifested on the You clan battlefield. However, all eight Emperors of the You clan also emerged. Seven Dao Ancestors faced off against eight Emperors. Neither side held back, engaging in an all-out clash. Realizing that the eight Emperors were scheming against Lu Changsheng, the Dao Ancestors immediately commanded the Daluo Immortal Venerables to mobilize and enter the You clan battlefield to rescue him. Naturally, the You clan dispatched their King-level experts in response. All at once, a full-scale war erupted ahead of schedule between the You clan and the immortal race, sparked by Lu Changsheng. *Hum.* A transmission from Pan Ancestor appeared on Lu Changsheng's message transmission stone: "The Dao Ancestors and Daluo Immortal Venerables have all mobilized, but we are held back by the You clan Emperors and King-level experts. Break out of the encirclement and return to the Heaven Realm at all costs." Though the message was brief, Lu Changsheng's heart sank. He understood the implications of this concise message all too well. A total war had likely broken out between the immortal race and the You clan. After all, if even the Dao Ancestors and Daluo Immortal Venerables had taken the field, what else could it be? However, with the Dao Ancestors and Daluo Immortal Venerables obstructed by the You clan Emperors, they could not enter the battlefield to save him. Lu Changsheng knew clearly that he could rely only on himself! "Illusory Realm!" Without hesitation, Lu Changsheng unleashed the Illusory Realm. Descending in an instant, it swept all eighteen You clan grand commanders into its expanse. Yet the Illusory Realm, usually so formidable and sharp, shuddered violently. It proved unable to fully suppress the eighteen grand commanders, even showing signs of destabilization and collapse. Lu Changsheng's expression shifted drastically. In the next instant, he hesitated no longer. *Boom!* A full one hundred eighty thousand avatars materialized in an instant, densely surrounding and protecting Lu Changsheng at their center. "Fuse!" The one hundred eighty thousand avatars swarmed inward, transforming into streaks of light that surged into Lu Changsheng's true body. Instantly, his form expanded like a balloon, swelling to a thousand zhang in the blink of an eye! No, it did not stop at a thousand zhang—it continued to balloon until it reached four thousand zhang before finally halting. A four-thousand-zhang colossal giant stood towering in the void, striking shock into the hearts of all eighteen You clan grand commanders! Even as top grand commanders of the three great bloodlines, their physical bodies fell short when compared to Lu Changsheng's current form. In fact, there was no comparison at all. This completely defied their comprehension. After all, by any measure, Lu Changsheng was an entire realm below them. Who could have imagined that his physical body could be powerful to such a degree?