Rivaling a Great Saint, the Illusory Realm Metamorphoses Anew, Reconstructing the Power of the Great Dao!

Within a mountain cave in the Sunset Forbidden Zone, Lu Changsheng came to a stop. He immediately shrouded the cave with his Illusory Realm, ensuring not the slightest trace of his aura would leak outside. Then, the Black Light Pagoda flew out from within his body. Those three top prodigies were not actually dead yet. Instead, they were suppressed and bound inside the Black Light Pagoda, incapable of even twitching. After all, claiming that the Black Light Pagoda was invincible beneath four life leaps was no empty boast. Lu Changsheng knew these prodigies had more or less concealed trump cards and contingency measures upon their persons. Yet that did not matter. Going all out against these three top prodigies now, he would surely crush and execute them. *Whoosh.* With a single thought from Lu Changsheng, the Black Light Pagoda unleashed a terrifying force that ground down toward the three suppressed prodigies trapped within. At this moment, an intuitive awareness struck the three top prodigies. Grasping their current predicament, their expressions drastically shifted. "Who is it? Just who has suppressed us? Hiding your head and showing your tail—come out!" "The three of us are Saint Sons and a Sword Seed! Three apex factions stand behind us, and high-rank Great Saints have even left contingency measures inside our bodies! By merely suppressing us, those measures might not trigger, but if you dare lay a finger on our lives, they will surely erupt—and you will die with us!" "Indeed, release us at once! Otherwise, the moment our sects' Great Saints descend, your death will be certain!" These three top prodigies, who had been locked in bitter rivalry moments ago, now joined forces in the face of mortal peril. They were not foolish. In such a situation, what point was there in competing? They had only one objective: To survive! No matter how exceptional a prodigy was, death meant losing everything. Even if their sects were consumed by rage afterward, they would already be dead; it would matter nothing to them. Thus, the three immediately invoked the might of their sects to "warn" Lu Changsheng, hoping to instill apprehension in him—and ideally compel him to let them go. Yet how could Lu Changsheng ever spare them? The next instant, the power inside the Black Light Pagoda surged violently. However, it targeted only one person for now. Lu Changsheng directed it first at the Heavenly Sword Sword Seed. He harbored some wariness toward that so-called divine sword phantom. He also wished to see whether the contingency left on the youth could withstand the suppression of the Black Light Pagoda. "Ah!" The Heavenly Sword Sword Seed let out a bloodcurdling scream. His body began to disintegrate. Simultaneously, a divine sword phantom violently erupted from within him. Its vast, surging sword intent directly battered the Black Light Pagoda, seemingly attempting to sever the pagoda in two. *Rumble!* The divine sword slashed down with immense fury. This blow already surpassed the ordinary level of a three-Dao Great Saint, barely reaching the might of a four-Dao Great Saint. Unfortunately, it was only a single strike. Power at the level of a four-Dao Great Saint was something Lu Changsheng's Black Light Pagoda could still endure. As the slash landed, the divine sword phantom slowly faded away. A look of pure despair washed over the Heavenly Sword Sword Seed's face. His contingency measure had failed to protect him. "I haven't become a Great Saint yet! I haven't mastered the power of the Great Dao! How could I possibly die here..." The Heavenly Sword Sword Seed descended into near madness. He burned his physical body, burned his spirit, burned his very will—burning everything in a frantic attempt to break through the Black Light Pagoda's suppression. Yet it proved utterly futile. *Bang!* At last, the Heavenly Sword Sword Seed was annihilated. A wisp of Dark Domain origin power remained behind, which Lu Changsheng collected. A gleam flashed across Lu Changsheng's eyes. It seemed the protection these major factions afforded their top prodigies had its limits. As for the so-called high-rank Great Saints, perhaps such entities truly existed within those factions, but how could beings of that stature act as babysitters for prodigies? They likely had neither the time nor the energy to bother with them. Those who truly paid attention to these young talents were probably only two-Dao or three-Dao Great Saints—at most four-Dao Great Saints. And Lu Changsheng's Black Light Pagoda was practically on the same level as a four-Dao Great Saint, renowned as invincible beneath four life leaps. If it was merely a contingency left behind by a four-Dao Great Saint, the Black Light Pagoda had nothing to fear. After all, such measures could not be sustained; weathering a single burst was enough. Seeing the Heavenly Sword Sword Seed perish just like that, grief and terror surfaced on the faces of both the Haotian Dao Child and the Yuanfeng Saint Son. In terms of identity and status, they were roughly equal to the Heavenly Sword Sword Seed. If even he had died, could they survive? Now, they could only pray that the contingencies their sects' Great Saints had placed upon them were powerful enough to breach this treasure and allow them an escape. Lu Changsheng turned his gaze toward the Yuanfeng Saint Son. *Bang!* This time, the Yuanfeng Saint Son's physical body instantly collapsed. A massive mountain phantom was shattered by the Black Light Pagoda before it could even fully manifest. "Merely a measure left by a three-Dao Great Saint." Lu Changsheng shook his head. It seemed this Yuanfeng Saint Son was not held in particularly high regard by the faction behind him—at least, not compared to the Heavenly Sword Sword Seed. Finally came the Haotian Dao Child. A face vaguely manifested. "Fellow Daoist, stay your hand—" Without even sparing it a glance, Lu Changsheng brought the Black Light Pagoda crashing down in total suppression. *Bang!* The Haotian Dao Child perished as well. As for the contingency left upon him, it turned out to be merely the divine sense of a Great Saint. Did he think invoking his prestige would buy him face? Unfortunately, Lu Changsheng had no interest in honoring it. A mere divine sense collapsed upon the slightest contact. A thick scent of blood hung in the air inside the Black Light Pagoda. *Wait, how does the Haotian Dao Child have three wisps of Dark Domain origin power?* Lu Changsheng froze slightly in surprise. Both the Heavenly Sword Sword Seed and the Yuanfeng Saint Son had yielded only one wisp of Dark Domain origin power each, yet the Haotian Dao Child was different, leaving behind three wisps. In a sense, did this mean the Haotian Dao Child possessed vastly more fortune than the other Saint Sons? Had he not died, his future accomplishments would have been limitless—at the very least reaching the level of a four-Dao Great Saint or beyond! Regrettably, he had now fallen by Lu Changsheng's hand. Lu Changsheng fell into thought. Evidently, not everyone possessed merely a single wisp of Dark Domain origin power. The greater one's fortune and future potential, the more origin power might dwell within their body. Adding the three wisps he had gathered before, Lu Changsheng now possessed eight wisps of Dark Domain origin power in total. Inside the Black Light Pagoda, Lu Changsheng began refining them. One month, three months, five months, eight months... In the blink of an eye, eight months passed. Lu Changsheng had completely refined all eight wisps of Dark Domain origin power. He sensed that his Illusory Realm had grown somewhat stronger once more. Lu Changsheng immediately called up his attribute panel to inspect his status. Host: Lu Changsheng Comprehension: Top-Tier Comprehension World Master: 25% (Rudimentary) Chaos Lifeform: 76% (Rudimentary) On the attribute panel, his World Master progress had risen by 8%, reaching 25%. While that was already a substantial improvement, it was still far from 100%. *Eight months have passed. News of the deaths of these three top prodigies must have spread by now. Should I wait a little longer?* Lu Changsheng decided to bide his time. He was in no hurry. Rather than immediately hunting more prodigies, he continued taking on the ferocious beasts within the Sunset Forbidden Zone, specifically targeting formidable creatures that possessed primordial bloodlines. Among them was even a terrifying beast comparable to a two-Dao Great Saint. Because of its fearsome might, Lu Changsheng had been forced to deploy the Black Light Pagoda, slaying it under the concealment of his Illusory Realm. That kill yielded five wisps of Dark Domain origin power, filling Lu Changsheng with immense delight. He even began looking down slightly on quasi-saints and the Saint realm. Slaying Great Saints yielded far greater rewards! If hunting ferocious beasts gave so much, what about slaying two-Dao or three-Dao Great Saints? Those capable of becoming two-Dao or three-Dao Great Saints must have once been top prodigies themselves. Slaying them might yield even more Dark Domain origin power. However, two-Dao and three-Dao Great Saints were extraordinary. If they possessed unknown trump cards, Lu Changsheng might slip up even when using the Black Light Pagoda. And once a mistake occurred, the consequences would be dire. Lu Changsheng still prioritized safety. Gathering Dark Domain origin power could wait, but his own safety had to be guaranteed. Thus, Lu Changsheng continued hunting beasts across the Sunset Forbidden Zone, occasionally using various methods to execute any top prodigies or Great Saints he encountered. Time flew by, and Lu Changsheng spent a full century in the Sunset Forbidden Zone. Over the course of a hundred years, Lu Changsheng had explored nearly every corner of the zone. He encountered danger on occasion, but relying on the Black Light Pagoda, he managed to escape every time. After a century, Lu Changsheng finally amassed enough Dark Domain origin power. Host: Lu Changsheng Comprehension: Top-Tier Comprehension World Master: 100% (Rudimentary) Chaos Lifeform: 76% (Rudimentary) On the attribute panel, his World Master progress had reached 100%. This meant he could now attempt to reopen his world. Once successful, his cultivation would advance to the level of a single life leap, or that of a one-Dao Great Saint. *To think my path as a Realm Lord would be the first to reach this step...* Lu Changsheng sighed with emotion. His physical body had always been his greatest strength, becoming a chaos lifeform first. Regrettably, after arriving in the Dark Domain, his flesh could not cultivate, preventing him from undergoing life leaps. Yet every cloud had a silver lining: his Illusory Realm was completely unaffected. Surpassing his physical cultivation, it had now reached the point where he could attempt to reopen his world. Reopening the world once was equivalent to a single life leap. However, Lu Changsheng did not attempt it immediately. Just like physical life leaps, reopening a world carried immense peril—perhaps even greater peril than a life leap. A failed life leap caused the physical body to collapse, while a failed world reopening would cause the Illusory Realm to shatter. Of course, even if the Illusory Realm collapsed, it would only destroy a single flesh particle linked to it, leaving Lu Changsheng himself largely unharmed. Yet if the Illusory Realm shattered, cultivating another would be exceedingly difficult. Even if it were possible, it would demand an immense amount of time and boundless origin power. Therefore, unless pushed to the absolute brink, Lu Changsheng had no wish to rebuild his Illusory Realm from scratch. He wanted to ensure complete certainty before reopening the world. *After spending a century sweeping through the Sunset Forbidden Zone, whether ferocious beasts or top prodigies, almost everything has been cleaned out. Staying here any longer serves no purpose.* *Moreover, reopening the world requires absolute safety with no possibility of disturbance. It's better to return to Tianyu City before making further plans.* Lu Changsheng made up his mind. Transforming into a streak of light, he flew out of the Sunset Forbidden Zone and headed back toward Tianyu City. After several months of travel, Lu Changsheng returned to Tianyu City. Back in his cave dwelling, he did not attempt to reopen the world right away. Given the risks involved, he had to exercise utmost prudence. Lu Changsheng considered several precautions. For instance, comprehending the power of the Great Dao and constructing it within the Illusory Realm. With each Great Dao added, the Illusory Realm seemed to become more complete. Lu Changsheng was unsure whether this would increase the success rate of reopening the world, but he could intuitively sense that it was beneficial. He decided to try it first. Lu Changsheng already had experience comprehending the power of the Great Dao. In truth, his comprehension was an act of mimicry. He could not unleash the Great Dao's power himself; he could only construct it within the Illusory Realm to perfect the world within. Lu Changsheng closed his eyes. His mind recalled the Great Saints he had battled in the Sunset Forbidden Zone. During those clashes, he had meticulously perceived their Great Daos. Although a century had passed, a mere hundred years was negligible to Lu Changsheng, and every detail remained crystal clear in his memory. Day after day went by. It took ten years for Lu Changsheng to comprehend his first Great Dao. Twenty years, thirty years, forty years, fifty years... In the blink of an eye, one hundred and twenty years passed, and Lu Changsheng reconstructed twelve Great Daos. These twelve Great Daos were not all the Daos he had perceived in the Sunset Forbidden Zone, but twelve were more than enough. Lu Changsheng could feel that after reconstructing these twelve Great Daos, the Illusory Realm had become vastly more stable. An obscure premonition told him that the Illusory Realm was now stable enough to support reopening the world once! *Stability...* *To think the benefit of Great Dao power to the Illusory Realm is its ability to stabilize it!* *Yet on closer thought, that makes complete sense. What is a Great Dao? Isn't it meant to sustain the Dark Domain? It is the power that maintains order. The more Dao power there is, the safer and more stable the Dark Domain becomes, making cultivation all the smoother.* *My Illusory Realm is increasingly aligning with the nature of the Dark Domain. The more Dao power it contains, the more stable it becomes. And with a more stable Illusory Realm, even reopening the world will not cause it to collapse, drastically boosting the success rate...* Lu Changsheng's eyes lit up. He understood. He understood completely. He now grasped the fundamental essence of a Realm Lord's cultivation and had found his path forward: The power of the Great Dao. If he could comprehend more Great Dao power, his Illusory Realm could undergo repeated world reopenings with an exceptionally high success rate. Right now, Lu Changsheng felt that reopening the world once would pose virtually no problem. Of course, reopening it once versus multiple times was vastly different. With each reopening, the Illusory Realm would expand tenfold or a hundredfold, drastically increasing the difficulty of subsequent reopenings. For now, however, Lu Changsheng simply aimed to proceed step by step and complete his first reopening. He rested for several days to adjust his condition to its peak, then activated the cave dwelling's grand array. Once everything was prepared, Lu Changsheng focused his mind. "Collapse!" As his words fell, the vast Illusory Realm began to tremble violently, followed by a total collapse. Everything within the Illusory Realm shattered completely. One month, three months, five months, eight months, one year... Finally, after a year, Lu Changsheng's Illusory Realm collapsed into an incomparably dense black hole. Or rather, not a black hole, but a single point. A singularity? It was somewhat similar. In any case, it had collapsed to the absolute limit and could condense no further. Lu Changsheng also vaguely perceived that once the Illusory Realm reached this limit, an immense, terrifying power surged within it, threatening to burst forth. Once unleashed, it would shake heaven and earth. Following an innate intuition, Lu Changsheng began guiding this energy. He knew that after the collapse came the explosion. How else could the world be reopened? Yet this explosion was perilous in the extreme. Many Realm Lords saw their worlds shatter during the blast, resulting in failure. And once they failed, death was the only outcome. Lu Changsheng was thoroughly prepared. He believed the twelve Great Daos he had reconstructed were sufficient to allow the Illusory Realm to withstand the blast. *Boom!* The next instant, the maximally compressed singularity violently detonated. A terrifying force surged outward in all directions. Lu Changsheng deployed the Black Light Pagoda almost instantly. "Suppress!" Inside the cave dwelling, shielded by the grand array, Lu Changsheng could freely utilize the Black Light Pagoda. Otherwise, such a violent explosion would undoubtedly cause a massive commotion. But now, no matter how ferocious the tremors, the Black Light Pagoda suppressed them entirely, preventing even the slightest ripple from escaping. Even so, Lu Changsheng's entire focus remained fixed on the collapsed singularity. The singularity was gone, obliterated in the blast and transformed into a horrifying shockwave. Yet Lu Changsheng clearly sensed the presence of the Illusory Realm. It weathered the violent impact, seeming on the verge of collapse at any moment. But the powers of the Great Daos acted like iron chains, locking the Illusory Realm firmly in place so that no matter how massive the shock, it stood entirely unshaken. Ten years, twenty years, thirty years, forty years, fifty years... The explosion persisted for an extended period. Yet after several decades to a century, the blast finally subsided, and the Illusory Realm reappeared. At this moment, however, the Illusory Realm was completely transformed. The entire realm was far more solid and vast, its internal rules significantly more complete. Strands of Great Dao power lay hidden within the void. The might of the entire Illusory Realm had surged by far more than tenfold—at least several dozen to a hundred times over! This was the power of reopening the world. It was merely the first time, yet his strength had advanced by leaps and bounds, creating a difference like night and day. Lu Changsheng immediately checked his attribute panel. Host: Lu Changsheng Comprehension: Top-Tier Comprehension World Master: 0 (1 time) Chaos Lifeform: 76% (Rudimentary) Sure enough, on the attribute panel, "Rudimentary" beside World Master had vanished, replaced by "1 time." This signified a single world reopening, equivalent to one life leap for a chaos lifeform. Yet Lu Changsheng's Illusory Realm was far from ordinary. Reconstructing so many Great Daos had made it extraordinarily sturdy, and it had now expanded several dozen to a hundred times over. Just how powerful was the current Illusory Realm? Even Lu Changsheng found it difficult to estimate. At the very least, an ordinary one-Dao Great Saint would be no match for him, and he might even be able to slay a two-Dao Great Saint. As for three-Dao Great Saints, he would have to test his strength against one to know for sure. The explosive increase in the Illusory Realm's might brought Lu Changsheng great relief. In the future, he would not have to worry about relying on the Black Light Pagoda whenever trouble arose. Against three-Dao Great Saints, even if he could not defeat them, escaping using the Illusory Realm would pose no difficulty. Unless a four-Dao Great Saint descended, Lu Changsheng had little reason to feel apprehensive. Calculating the time, Lu Changsheng had been in the Dark Domain for over three hundred years. That was hardly long—in fact, it was quite brief. Yet his Chaos Alliance token had shown no movement whatsoever. Lu Changsheng took out the Chaos Alliance token to inspect it directly. This single glance left his heart trembling. What did he see? Contribution points! A massive sum of contribution points! These were Chaos Alliance contribution points. Though currently useless to him, the moment he departed the Dark Domain and returned to the chaos, they would be of immense value! Lu Changsheng had originally joined the Chaos Alliance specifically to acquire cultivation resources. He had not anticipated the unforeseen mishap that left him temporarily stranded in the Dark Domain. These contribution points were calculated automatically by the Chaos Alliance identity token, ensuring absolute fairness with the origin of every point clearly recorded. From the Blood Gourd Forbidden Zone to the Sunset Forbidden Zone, Lu Changsheng had slain prodigy after prodigy, along with quasi-saints, Saints, and even Great Saints. All of these achievements had been converted into contribution points and logged within the token. In a sense, the Dark Domain was truly a treasure trove. Perilous though it was, the harvest was colossal—practically astronomical. If he could return to the chaos this time, Lu Changsheng would not need to worry about cultivation resources for a very long time. However, that was a matter for the future. Whether he could return to the chaos remained uncertain. Right now, there was no news from the Chaos Alliance, and he had no idea if a new passage had been forged. If one had been opened, his identity token should have received word. The lack of any message likely meant a new passage had yet to be established. This was only natural. Carving out a safe passage was not something achieved overnight; it could take centuries, millennia, or even tens of millennia. "Tianyu City is ultimately a small city with few prodigies." "If I wish to remain safe and continue cultivating in the Dark Domain, keeping a low profile alone won't suffice; I need an identity. I must blend into the Dark Domain..." Lu Changsheng murmured softly. To blend into the Dark Domain, the best approach was naturally to practice the cultivation methods of the Dark Domain. Yet that was entirely impossible. Having already become a chaos lifeform, he was stamped with the indelible hallmarks of the chaos and could not cultivate the Dark Domain's techniques. "The Great Saints of the Dark Domain cultivate the power of the Great Dao. If I can manifest Great Dao power, wouldn't I appear identical to a Dark Domain cultivator?" Lu Changsheng thought of the Great Dao's power. He was already capable of mimicking it; with his comprehension, that presented no difficulty at all. It was merely due to differences in cultivation systems that he could not unleash its might directly, having to reconstruct it within the Illusory Realm to perfect the world within. Inside the Illusory Realm, however, that Great Dao power could display terrifying might. *The Illusory Realm...* Lu Changsheng's eyes brightened as a thought crossed his mind. Could he rely on the Illusory Realm to manifest Great Dao power and disguise himself as a Great Saint of the Dark Domain? If successful, his problem of integrating into the Dark Domain would be solved. He could even remain here for extended periods without issue. Yet could such a disguise truly work? "Let's test it." With a thought, the Illusory Realm descended rapidly, cloaking the entire cave dwelling. "Fire." Instantly, a massive Fire Dao emerged. The temperature in the void soared rapidly. This Fire Dao seemed indistinguishable from an authentic Fire Dao of the Dark Domain. Even through sensory perception, no difference could be detected. After all, this was the power of the Dao Lu Changsheng had mimicked, merely reconstructed within the Illusory Realm. Within the realm's confines, it was genuine Dao power. Yet how could he fool other Dark Domain cultivators? In full view of others, he would have to unleash the Illusory Realm. And now that the Illusory Realm had become virtually tangible, anyone could spot its peculiarities at a glance. After all, a Great Dao had to be enveloped by the Illusory Realm to manifest its might. If Dark Domain cultivators looked upon the Dao power, they would inevitably see the Illusory Realm. How could he conceal it? Lu Changsheng sank into deep contemplation. Yet he did not give up, wracking his brains for a solution. Day after day passed. In the blink of an eye, a year went by. Amidst the clash of countless thoughts in Lu Changsheng's mind, a spark of inspiration finally flared. He thought of a method. Who said the Illusory Realm had to envelop a massive area? Couldn't it simply envelop the Great Dao power itself? Or rather, the Illusory Realm could cling directly to the surface of the Great Dao power. That way, the Dao power would still reside within the Illusory Realm, leaving its manifestation completely unhindered. Furthermore, the Illusory Realm could alter its shape at will, entirely free of constraints. The only limitation was that Lu Changsheng required absolute control over the Illusory Realm and seamless coordination with the Great Dao power. Fortunately, the Illusory Realm was under his absolute command, manipulable with a mere thought. The same held true for the Great Dao power, which he could manifest at will. Lu Changsheng gave it a try. "Fire." The next instant, a Fire Dao manifested in a flash. At the same time, the Illusory Realm was nowhere to be seen. A closer look would reveal that the realm was adhered directly to the Fire Dao, virtually inseparable. Even Lu Changsheng could hardly distinguish one from the other, let alone Dark Domain cultivators. As for driving the power of the Great Dao, that was even simpler. The Dao power Lu Changsheng manifested was, in truth, the might of the Illusory Realm. Having undergone one reopening, the Illusory Realm was currently equivalent to a one-Dao Great Saint—and one capable of fighting above his realm at that. If it came down to a clash of Dao power, Lu Changsheng would not pale before any one-Dao or two-Dao Great Saint. Later on, disguising himself as a two-Dao or three-Dao Great Saint would be equally trivial, as he possessed over a dozen Great Daos within his realm that he could manifest whenever needed. Still, one slight problem remained. Every Great Dao in the Dark Domain was distinct. Even two Fire Daos differed in subtle ways. The Great Dao powers within Lu Changsheng's Illusory Realm were all mimicked from other Great Saints. If he manifested them unchanged, he might inadvertently give himself away. Therefore, the best approach was to manifest a unique Dao entirely his own. That was simple enough. Since it was merely a disguise, and his Illusory Realm was capable of myriad transformations where he reigned supreme, why not fuse the Dao powers? Lu Changsheng directly fused the Lightning Dao and the Fire Dao. During the fusion, repulsion naturally arose, but under the forceful suppression of the Illusory Realm, the two Daos gradually merged, ultimately forming a unique Thunder-Fire Dao. "It worked!" "Now I, too, am a Great Saint who has comprehended the power of the Great Dao." "Seizing this opportunity to manifest the Thunder-Fire Dao, I can pass myself off as a newly breakthrough Great Saint from Tianyu City!" "When I venture elsewhere in the future, my identity will be beyond suspicion." Lu Changsheng's eyes shone. This plan was feasible. With that in mind, he began mobilizing the Illusory Realm, preparing to make a high-profile "breakthrough" into a Great Saint! *Rumble!* The Illusory Realm transformed into the Thunder-Fire Dao and instantly manifested in the sky above Tianyu City. For a time, lightning flashed and flames surged, blanketing the city beneath an awe-inspiring spectacle of supreme might.