Fifteen Years, Three Hundred Thousand Flesh Avatars!

Lu Changsheng looked around him. Power! All he could feel right now was the boundless, inexhaustible power surging through his body. With this power, he felt as if he could smash through anything! Compared to his previous forty-nine thousand avatars, one hundred and eighty thousand was only a bit more than triple the number. Yet the increase in his strength was far from a mere threefold gain. Once one hundred and eighty thousand Ancestor Realm avatars merged, Lu Changsheng's might skyrocketed, directly shattering his bottlenecks and ascending to an entirely higher plane. That was the level of a Taiyi Immortal Venerable! "Burst!" Lu Changsheng extended a colossal palm and reached straight for the nearest You clan grand commander. This grasp seemed to blot out the sky. The grand commander froze where he stood, struck dumb. It felt as though an unendurable, terrifying pressure had descended upon his entire being. "No..." Yet a grand commander was a grand commander after all—a dreadful entity rivaling a Taiyi Immortal Venerable. Snapping out of his momentary daze, he reacted instantly, hurling a fist straight toward Lu Changsheng. This strike was likewise fueled by pure physical might. Without any tricks or flourishes, the two forces collided violently. *Thud!* A dull rumble echoed as a fearsome shockwave rolled outward in all directions. Only a moment later, however, a sharp crack rang out. A look of astonishment surfaced on the grand commander's face. He looked down to see a fissure split across his body. Once the first crack appeared, a second followed, then a third, a fourth, until countless fissures spread across his flesh. "How is this possible..." The grand commander could scarcely believe his eyes. As crack after crack splintered through him, his physical body became like fragile porcelain, shattering to pieces in an instant. It collapsed with a deafening crash, reduced to chunks of mangled flesh. What was more, the extraordinary regenerative capacity inherent to a grand commander's body seemed to have completely vanished. The life force within his flesh had been obliterated in one blow. Dead! A grand commander of the You clan had died just like that. Killed with a single strike. Silence! At that moment, the entire void fell deathly quiet. The remaining seventeen grand commanders had never expected such an outcome. Their mouths fell open, their eyes wide with shock. This was a grand commander! Not to mention one belonging to the three noble bloodlines of the You clan. Which of them was not renowned across the entire clan? None of them was a minor figure. In terms of standing, they were equivalent to Immortal Venerable Kuhai—who was widely celebrated among the immortal race as a peak figure among Taiyi practitioners. The grand commanders of the three bloodlines occupied a position very similar to his. Yet an existence of that stature had just been punched to pieces by Lu Changsheng. "Join forces! We can't fight individually anymore! If the grand commanders of our three bloodlines cannot bring down Lu Changsheng even by working together, it will be the humiliation of the You clan!" one of the grand commanders bellowed. These eighteen grand commanders belonged to different bloodlines. Just moments ago, each had been fighting for himself, even hoping their peers would test Lu Changsheng's depth first. But now they awoke to reality. If they kept testing him and refused to unite, they truly might fail to bring Lu Changsheng down. For them, that would be a genuine disgrace! Without hesitation, the seventeen remaining grand commanders struck together. *Rumble!* The void shook violently, as if space itself was about to shatter. This time, Lu Changsheng felt a genuine sense of peril. Seventeen grand commanders attacking in unison was equivalent to seventeen peak Taiyi masters—how could anyone block that? Yet even if he could not, he had to try! "Kill!" Lu Changsheng unleashed his full power. His four-thousand-zhang frame, combined with the Illusory Realm enveloping and controlling every single avatar, unleashed the strongest combined strike of the one hundred and eighty thousand avatars and his true body to clash head-on against the seventeen grand commanders. In an instant, the two titanic forces collided. Lu Changsheng felt seventeen dreadful currents of energy sweep in from all directions, piercing through layers of defense and crashing directly against his body. Immediately, his flesh began to disintegrate. Avatar after avatar was obliterated. This was true, irreversible annihilation—destruction at the particle level, which meant absolute death. It was the death of individual particles, and every avatar was formed from immortal flesh particles within Lu Changsheng's body. For even immortal particles to be wiped out demonstrated just how terrifying the combined power of these grand commanders was. *Squelch!* Lu Changsheng's one hundred and eighty thousand avatars rolled forward like raging waves, yet wave after wave dissolved into nothingness. Ten thousand avatars, twenty thousand, thirty thousand... With just a single exchange, thirty thousand avatars were gone—nearly a sixth of his total count. Once an avatar was lost in this manner, it was gone for good and could not simply regenerate. Lu Changsheng would have to cultivate them back from his flesh particles. This was the nature of his Avatar Fusion Physical Method. While every avatar could merge into his body, each remained fundamentally independent. Any loss was permanent until re-cultivated. When Lu Changsheng had faced Lin before, he had not felt much pressure. Lin could not threaten him, much less wipe out so many of his avatars at once. But these seventeen grand commanders were different. A single joint attack had annihilated a sixth of his avatars, dealing him a heavy blow. However, the seventeen grand commanders fared even worse. A full-power blow from Lu Changsheng's four-thousand-zhang form, backed by one hundred and eighty thousand Ancestor Realm avatars, was no trivial matter. The impact sent a violent tremor through all seventeen grand commanders. The terrifying force rattled their bodies so severely that they felt on the verge of splintering. The four grand commanders closest to the blast shrieked as their bodies detonated, turning into mounds of shredded flesh. Four more grand commanders had perished. From the original eighteen, only thirteen remained. In just two clashes, five grand commanders had fallen. The remaining thirteen felt their bodies trembling. It was fear. Pure dread. After all, who wanted to follow in the footsteps of those five? "Lu Changsheng is injured too! His aura has dropped considerably, and he's lost nearly twenty percent of his flesh..." One of the grand commanders stared intently at Lu Changsheng, having seemingly deduced his current state at a glance. Lu Changsheng was indeed in rough shape. He was wounded and had lost nearly twenty percent of his avatars. A few more exchanges would likely be enough to blow him apart. Yet did they dare to clash a few more times? Lu Changsheng was hurt, but their own losses were staggering. If they fought again, who died first was anyone's guess. These grand commanders were not united to begin with; the three noble bloodlines constantly schemed and feuded with one another. Under normal circumstances, they could maintain appearances, but in a life-or-death battle like this, how could they truly fight with one heart? For a time, the two sides stood in a tense standoff within the void. Lu Changsheng narrowed his eyes. He now had a clear grasp of his current strength. He had not anticipated that fusing one hundred and eighty thousand avatars would yield such horrifying power, enabling him to contend with more than a dozen grand commanders from the three noble bloodlines. Even so, he knew his own circumstances best. His Avatar Fusion Physical Method was remarkably convenient and made boosting his strength easy—the more avatars he had, the greater his combat power. Yet in the end, that power did not stem from his true body. In a sense, it was an external boost, and relying on external force lacked a solid foundation. Having lost thirty thousand avatars, he had only one hundred and fifty thousand remaining, meaning his combat strength had fallen considerably. If they engaged in another direct clash and he lost more avatars, his power would continue to decline. It was truly hard to say who would come out on top against thirteen grand commanders. Fortunately, the enemy did not realize how much his strength had waned. They were still deeply wary of him. This was an opportunity. There was no need for Lu Changsheng to fight these thirteen grand commanders to the death. "Go!" Lu Changsheng backed away immediately, turned around, and left. Watching him retreat into the distance, the thirteen grand commanders did not pursue. They simply watched him go. Only when his figure had completely vanished did they exchange glances in dismay. "Lu Changsheng escaped, and we suffered heavy losses with five dead. We had better think about how to explain this once we return." "How else? Tell the truth. Besides, Lu Changsheng was injured, and we've found his weakness. If there's a next time and we prepare more thoroughly, we will definitely slay him." "You still want a next time? I doubt there will ever be a next time..." The thirteen commanders had no desire to say more; further words were pointless. They had suffered an undeniable, catastrophic defeat. If punishment awaited them, so be it. However, as grand commanders, any penalty would not be overly severe. Still, the thought of Lu Changsheng killing five of them and swaggering away right before their eyes left them thoroughly demoralized. They had already taken Lu Changsheng seriously enough. Yet who could have imagined he had reached such an absurd level of power? Slaying five grand commanders with mere Immortal Venerable cultivation? It was utterly unbelievable! Even the most outstanding prodigies in the history of the You clan's three noble bloodlines could never have slain five peak grand commanders while still at the commander level. With that, the remaining thirteen grand commanders swiftly departed. At the same time, the seven Dao Ancestors and the eight Emperors seemed to receive word simultaneously. "Hmm?" A flicker of fury crossed the faces of the eight Emperors. "Useless trash!" Emperor Moluo spat, his face darkened with rage. Eighteen peak grand commanders had joined forces to hunt down Lu Changsheng alone. And the result? Not only had they failed, but they had also lost five peak grand commanders in the process. What were they if not useless trash? They had utterly disgraced the You clan! To ensure Lu Changsheng's death, the You clan had practically mobilized all available forces, using every means at their disposal. The eight Emperors had even personally provided cover for the eighteen grand commanders. And yet, this was the outcome. The disappointment cut deep. On the immortal race's side, however, joy lit up every face. Pan Ancestor burst out laughing. "Good, wonderful! Emperor Moluo, it seems your You clan's so-called three noble bloodlines are nothing special after all. Eighteen grand commanders from the three bloodlines ambushed a single Golden Immortal Immortal Venerable from our immortal race. Possessing an overwhelming advantage in both numbers and cultivation, you still failed? You even lost five grand commanders! I truly never imagined your three bloodlines had degenerated to such a degree." Smiles spread across the faces of the seven Dao Ancestors, making the eight Emperors look even gloomier. "Let's go!" The eight Emperors could not be bothered to waste any more words. Since the mission had failed, remaining here would only invite further humiliation. The Emperors and King-level experts of the You clan began to withdraw, leaving only the Dao Ancestors, Daluo Immortal Venerables, and their peers on the frontlines. "Dao Ancestor, have you received news?" Immortal Venerable Kuhai stepped forward to ask. Immortal Venerable Kuhai had not gone to the chaos, remaining in the Heaven Realm instead. However, he had not participated in the recent battle. A battle of that scale required at least the strength of a Daluo Immortal Venerable; a Taiyi Immortal Venerable like him was not even qualified to intervene. Yet because this matter concerned Lu Changsheng, he felt compelled to ask. Pan Ancestor glanced at Immortal Venerable Kuhai, then looked toward the many Immortal Monarchs and Immortal Venerables watching from afar. Raising his voice, he announced, "Immortal Venerable Changsheng was ambushed by eighteen grand commanders of the You clan. He routed all eighteen, slew five peak grand commanders among them, and has now safely returned to the Heaven Realm!" *Boom!* Coming straight from Pan Ancestor, the news was beyond doubt. In an instant, countless Immortal Monarchs and Immortal Venerables were left dumbfounded, their faces frozen in disbelief. They had known of Immortal Venerable Changsheng's talent and had heard of his strength. Slaying Lin of the You clan's royal bloodline during the battle in the chaos had been the ultimate proof, earning him renown as the greatest Immortal Monarch of all time. Yet even being the greatest Immortal Monarch paled in comparison to the news Pan Ancestor had just delivered. Immortal Monarch Changsheng had become Immortal Venerable Changsheng, but he was still only a Golden Immortal Immortal Venerable. Meanwhile, those who had surrounded him were grand commanders of the You clan—peak grand commanders of the three noble bloodlines! A You clan grand commander was the equivalent of a Taiyi Immortal Venerable in the immortal race. In other words, eighteen Taiyi Immortal Venerables had ambushed Lu Changsheng, only to suffer a crushing defeat with five of their number slain, while Lu Changsheng returned to the Heaven Realm with complete composure. What a tremendous sensation! How utterly mind-boggling! Yet no matter how unbelievable it sounded, it was undeniably true. Furthermore, some immortals had already pieced together the truth behind this sudden conflict between the two races. The full-scale clash that had drawn out Dao Ancestors and Emperors had all been ignited by Immortal Venerable Changsheng! For his sake, the Dao Ancestors and Emperors had not hesitated to wage war, which left everyone all the more shaken. "Look at the Surge List! On the Surge List next to the Immortal Venerable List, Immortal Venerable Changsheng's immortal merit just shot up by more than three hundred and eighty thousand!" "It really is true! Immortal Venerable Changsheng went to the battlefield thirteen years ago. In thirteen years, he gathered three hundred and eighty thousand immortal merit and skyrocketed to first place!" "Indeed. Even though it's the Immortal Venerable List now, he still claimed first place on the Surge List. Earning three hundred and eighty thousand immortal merit is no small feat." "Without anyone noticing, Immortal Venerable Changsheng has already reached such heights? Doesn't this mean he's practically the number one figure beneath the Daluo Immortal Venerables?" "For other immortals, cultivation only gets harder the further they advance. Challenging someone of a higher realm is nothing more than a pipe dream. But Immortal Venerable Changsheng is different—he seems to grow even stronger the further he goes. It's enough to drive anyone to despair..." Many immortals shifted their attention to the Surge List at the Immortal Venerable level. Sure enough, at the very top of the list, they saw that familiar name: Immortal Venerable Changsheng! Ranked temporarily at number one! Immortal merit: 383,500! That was the haul Lu Changsheng had reaped from his trip to the battlefield. All the immortals now felt as though Lu Changsheng had gone to the frontlines purely to harvest merit. Who could earn immortal merit more easily than him? Had the You clan not cast aside all shame to deploy eighteen peak grand commanders to eliminate him, who knew how much more he might have gathered? And yet, Lu Changsheng had still returned safely, bringing over three hundred and eighty thousand immortal merit with him. "Pan Ancestor, should we remind Lu Changsheng not to go to the battlefield for a while?" one of the Dao Ancestors asked. Pan Ancestor shook his head. "No need. Lu Changsheng understands his situation very well; he won't be reckless. Besides, if a true genius is to grow, how can he harbor fear?" There was another thought Pan Ancestor kept to himself. Lu Changsheng possessed immense clarity. If he chose to return to the battlefield, it would only be when he had the confidence to deal with Daluo Immortal Venerables. Pan Ancestor had no doubt about this, having observed Lu Changsheng's Avatar Fusion Physical Method from the beginning. It was nothing short of ingenious! Though Pan Ancestor did not know how Lu Changsheng managed to control so many avatars, that was the young man's secret. So long as his consciousness was strong enough to command sufficient flesh avatars, Lu Changsheng's combat power could increase indefinitely. Theoretically, there was no ceiling. Thus, Pan Ancestor had zero concern regarding Lu Changsheng's strength. "Very well." The other Dao Ancestors nodded. Knowing Pan Ancestor was keeping a close eye on Lu Changsheng was enough. Soon, the Dao Ancestors dispersed. After this battle, the You clan battlefield would likely remain quiet for some time. *Whoosh!* Lu Changsheng swiftly returned to his cave dwelling. Only after stepping into his quiet cultivation chamber did he finally let out a sigh of relief. That encounter had been perilous indeed. Who could have expected the You clan to deploy eighteen peak grand commanders just to kill him? That was the equivalent of eighteen peak Taiyi Immortal Venerables, each comparable to Immortal Venerable Kuhai! Immortal Venerable Kuhai was a towering figure who could hold down an entire sector of the battlefield on his own, yet eighteen figures of similar stature had been sent to ambush Lu Changsheng. "The You clan certainly thinks highly of me..." Lu Changsheng shook his head slightly. He had anticipated that the You clan would send experts after him, and had even considered the possibility of running into grand commanders. But being regarded with such extreme gravity had still taken him by surprise. Fortunately, he had handled it with composure and made it back safely without suffering any real loss. Upon returning to the Heaven Realm, Lu Changsheng had sent a message to Pan Ancestor, confident the Dao Ancestor would know what to do. He had also learned of the clash between the Dao Ancestors and Emperors on the battlefield—a near-total war between the immortal race and the You clan. Although the conflict had erupted because of him, Lu Changsheng had only just returned to the Heaven Realm and chose not to get involved. "The harvest this time is quite plentiful..." Lu Changsheng took stock of his gains. With over three hundred and eighty thousand new immortal merit added to his previous twenty-odd thousand, his total merit comfortably exceeded four hundred thousand. While four hundred thousand was somewhat less than what he had held in the past, it was still more than enough. Moreover, while he could continue splitting off avatars, he had also obtained the remains of five grand commanders from the You clan's three noble bloodlines. Though reduced to mangled fragments, those fragments could still be refined and used to cultivate flesh avatars. Just how many Ancestor Realm avatars could five grand commander corpses yield? Lu Changsheng was not certain, but he had to try. "Time to begin." Without delaying, Lu Changsheng began to divide his body into avatar after avatar. He had originally reached one hundred and eighty thousand avatars before losing thirty thousand, leaving him with one hundred and fifty thousand. Now, as new avatars split off, the count climbed back up: one hundred and sixty thousand, one hundred and seventy thousand, one hundred and eighty thousand... Yet this was only the beginning: one hundred and ninety thousand, two hundred thousand, two hundred and ten thousand, two hundred and twenty thousand, two hundred and thirty thousand... He continued dividing his flesh avatars. However, while he could create vast numbers of them, there was ultimately a limit. Eventually, Lu Changsheng felt his control strain; the number of avatars had reached its peak. Lu Changsheng checked the count: three hundred thousand avatars! From his previous one hundred and fifty thousand to three hundred thousand, he had divided an additional one hundred and fifty thousand avatars, effectively doubling his count! At this point, even with the Illusory Realm to command them, he had reached his limit. He could not add any more. If he exceeded this number, he would lose absolute control over them, which would do more harm than good. "Phew..." Lu Changsheng let out a breath. Truthfully, he had not known where his limit lay before now. But with the limit reached, he felt a sense of relief. "Three hundred thousand avatars... I wonder what heights my strength will reach once they all fuse? But I still have one hundred and fifty thousand avatars that need to be cultivated to the Ancestor Realm..." Lu Changsheng immediately began refining the remains of the five grand commanders to nurture his avatars. One grand commander's body—especially one of the three noble bloodlines—should easily support thirty thousand flesh avatars reaching the Ancestor Realm. And if that proved insufficient, he still had over four hundred thousand immortal merit to exchange for cultivation resources, leaving him with nothing to worry about on that front. With that in mind, Lu Changsheng hesitated no longer and began his secluded cultivation. One year, two years, three years... Cultivating flesh avatars posed no real difficulty for Lu Changsheng, but it did require time. Generally, bringing ten thousand flesh avatars to the Ancestor Realm took about a year. For one hundred and fifty thousand avatars, that meant fifteen years. Previously, cultivating one hundred and thirty thousand avatars on the battlefield had taken him thirteen years. Time was not an issue for him. Spring passed into winter, and in the blink of an eye, fifteen years had gone by. Over these fifteen years, the You clan battlefield saw virtually no major changes. After the massive clash sparked by Lu Changsheng, both sides settled into a prolonged period of calm. Following that, everything returned to normal. Skirmishes continued, but there were no large-scale battles involving Emperors and Dao Ancestors. It was worth noting that during these fifteen years, many immortals at the Taiyi and Daluo Immortal Venerable levels ventured into the chaos. Some returned bearing harvests—gains from the chaos that far surpassed anything the Heaven Realm could offer. Some ascended to new heights overnight, while others perished and were currently gestating anew within the Heaven Realm. Overall, the Heaven Realm remained prosperous. Yet all the Dao Ancestors understood that unless someone became a chaotic lifeform, the Heaven Realm was destined to remain in grave danger. *Whoosh!* Inside the cave dwelling, Lu Changsheng snapped his eyes open, a sharp glint flashing across his gaze. "Fifteen years... It's finally done..." With a single thought, densely packed flesh avatars appeared, filling the entire cave dwelling to capacity. Naturally, he did not summon all of them; three hundred thousand avatars would never fit inside. Lu Changsheng called up his attribute panel to review his status: Host: Lu Changsheng Comprehension: Top-tier comprehension Mortal Dao Fruit: Consummate (Illusory Realm divine ability) Myriad Spirits Dao Fruit: 90% (Devour Spirit divine ability) Flesh Dao Fruit: 90% (Mighty Power divine ability) Avatar Fusion Physical Method: 300,000 avatars Sure enough, on the panel, the number of avatars listed under his Avatar Fusion Physical Method had reached three hundred thousand! It was a staggering figure. What terrifying power would unleash once three hundred thousand avatars fused together? It was simply beyond imagination. If he were to face an ambush by eighteen grand commanders again, slaying five would no longer be the extent of it—he might well wipe them all out! However, continuing his secluded cultivation was now meaningless. Neither his Flesh Dao Fruit nor his Myriad Spirits Dao Fruit showed any signs of a breakthrough. To step into the realm of a Taiyi Golden Immortal, he still had to bring both Dao Fruits to consummation. Lu Changsheng currently had few ideas. His only lead was to trigger a qualitative change through quantitative accumulation. For the Flesh Dao Fruit, the path was straightforward: he simply needed to continuously refine powerful bodies. This refining would not be used to create more flesh avatars, but directly absorbed into his true body to see if sheer quantity could spark a qualitative transformation. The Myriad Spirits Dao Fruit followed a similar principle: devouring vast quantities of ensouled entities. "Powerful flesh... wouldn't the You clan's three noble bloodlines be the best choice? Or even You clan grand commanders." Yet the moment he recalled how heavily the You clan regarded him, he knew that if he dared set foot on the battlefield again, King-level entities or even Emperors would likely intervene personally. Not even the Dao Ancestors would be able to save him in time. After thinking it over, Lu Changsheng abandoned the idea of returning to the frontlines. He was willing to take risks, but he had no desire to throw his life away. Going to the battlefield now was practically suicide. "It seems I'll have to rely on exchanging immortal merit after all..." Lu Changsheng could only place his hopes on resources obtained through immortal merit. The Heavenly Court's Exchange Hall offered a vast variety of materials, containing virtually anything one could desire. Weighing his options, Lu Changsheng decided to attempt breaking through with the Flesh Dao Fruit first. As such, he leaned toward trading for innate divine beasts—and they had to be at least at the Taiyi level. An innate divine beast at the Taiyi level commanded an exorbitant price, costing anywhere from ten thousand to fifty thousand immortal merit each! Lu Changsheng exchanged twenty thousand merit for an innate divine beast known as a Taotie. The Taotie was said to be an insatiably greedy divine beast that consumed endlessly without excreting, possessing an extraordinarily powerful physical body. It suited Lu Changsheng's requirements perfectly. Having obtained the beast, he returned to his cave dwelling. "Time to try." Taking a deep breath, Lu Changsheng activated his Flesh Dao Fruit and began using his true body to refine the Taotie.