A Dao companion was something Lu Changsheng had never considered.
Yet for someone to come knocking and seek him out by name meant there had to be a reason.
Lu Changsheng pondered the matter.
After all, this was at the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect—what did he have to fear?
He was now a guest elder of the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect.
Thus, Lu Changsheng departed from the Cloud Dream Mountain Range and headed straight back to the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect.
The Dao Comprehension Holy Sect and Mount Cloud Dream were separated by an immense distance.
Last time, it had taken Lu Changsheng a full five years to reach Mount Cloud Dream.
Returning to the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect was no different.
It was only five years later that Lu Changsheng finally returned to the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect.
As soon as he arrived, the Sect Master summoned him to the grand hall.
Inside the grand hall, only the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect Master stood waiting.
"Elder Lu, you are finally back."
"The Holy Maiden of the Tianyuan Holy Sect has been waiting for you for three full years," the Sect Master said hurriedly.
Lu Changsheng frowned. "Sect Master, what exactly is going on? Out of nowhere, why would the Holy Maiden of the Tianyuan Holy Sect come all the way to our sect seeking a marriage alliance with me?"
Lu Changsheng could not make sense of it no matter how hard he thought.
When the Sect Master had sent him the transmission, he had not explained the reason either.
"This is a wonderful thing!"
"Elder Lu, you probably do not know much about the Tianyuan Holy Sect, do you?"
"The Tianyuan Holy Sect once produced an Emperor and is an Emperor-level lineage. However, their sect is rather unique. In every generation, they nurture an extraordinarily gifted Holy Maiden. The Holy Maiden must remain chaste and cultivate austerely until she comprehends at least nine Great Daos and reaches the level of a nine-Dao Saint."
"Once she reaches nine-Dao Saint, she may attempt to charge toward the realm of an Emperor. However, the Emperor realm is exceedingly difficult; even for a nine-Dao Saint, surviving such an attempt is a nine-to-one gamble of death over life, with almost no chance of success. Thus, many nine-Dao Saints will exhaust every means to comprehend yet another Great Dao and become a ten-Dao Saint."
"Yet progressing from the ninth Great Dao to the tenth is harder than ascending to the heavens—hardly any easier than charging into the Emperor realm itself. From ancient times to the present, very few have ever become ten-Dao Great Saints. But because of the unique cultivation technique practiced by the Holy Maiden of the Tianyuan Holy Sect, once she dual cultivates with another, there is a very high probability she will comprehend a tenth Great Dao!"
"However, throughout the Tianyuan Holy Sect's history, virtually no Holy Maiden has ever reached the level of a nine-Dao Great Saint—until the emergence of this generation's Holy Maiden, Lin Qingluan, who finally gave them hope."
"Lin Qingluan is merely around three thousand years old, yet she is already an eight-Dao Great Saint. She stands a strong chance of comprehending a ninth Great Dao within ten thousand years to become a nine-Dao Great Saint. When that time comes, marrying Elder Lu and engaging in dual cultivation will allow her to comprehend the tenth Great Dao and become a ten-Dao Great Saint."
"With the profound foundation of a ten-Dao Great Saint backing her, she will have a tremendous chance of attaining the Emperor realm! I need hardly spell out what this means for the Tianyuan Holy Sect, do I?"
Lu Changsheng maintained a calm expression.
Yet within his mind, colossal waves surged.
He had never imagined that the Tianyuan Holy Sect Holy Maiden seeking an alliance with him would be so brilliantly gifted.
And so exceedingly powerful.
An eight-Dao Great Saint!
Throughout the entire Dark Domain, that made her an undisputed powerhouse,
second only to nine-Dao Great Saints and Emperors.
Even the position of Dao Comprehension Holy Sect Master merely required a high-rank Great Saint—a seven-Dao Great Saint was enough.
An eight-Dao Great Saint?
That was an existence on par with a Supreme Elder of the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect.
As for nine-Dao Great Saints, they were the ultimate pillars of any Holy Sect.
Lu Changsheng was also astonished that the Tianyuan Holy Sect possessed such a secret method.
Comprehending a tenth Great Dao simply through dual cultivation?
It was truly inconceivable.
After all, that was tantamount to ascending to the heavens in a single step.
It meant directly attaining the Emperor realm—comparable to a source lifeform of chaos!
Just how heaven-defying was such a cultivation technique?
Of course, it had to be extraordinarily difficult to cultivate.
Otherwise, so many years would not have passed before the Tianyuan Holy Sect finally produced a Lin Qingluan.
Moreover, strictly speaking, Lin Qingluan merely held hope of reaching nine-Dao Great Saint.
Right now, she was only an eight-Dao Great Saint.
The higher one's cultivation, the harder it became to comprehend additional Great Daos.
After all, the first few Great Daos were generally those with which the Great Saint was relatively familiar.
They were not so difficult to grasp.
Yet the further one progressed, every new Dao was entirely unfamiliar.
Often, the cultivator had no prior affinity with it whatsoever.
It amounted to forcing comprehension.
How could that possibly be simple?
There were plenty of eight-Dao Great Saints across the Dark Domain.
Yet those who ultimately succeeded in becoming nine-Dao Great Saints were exceedingly few.
Still, gifted as Lin Qingluan was,
her chances of comprehending a ninth Great Dao were genuinely high.
"Sect Master, why did she seek me out?"
"I do not know Lin Qingluan at all, nor do I have any connection to the Tianyuan Holy Sect. Furthermore, I am merely a low-rank Great Saint. How could I ever catch the eye of the Tianyuan Holy Sect's esteemed eight-Dao Great Saint Holy Maiden?" Lu Changsheng asked.
He truly could not wrap his head around it.
How on earth had he crossed paths with Lin Qingluan?
He had never known her before this.
"Elder Lu, there is no need to belittle yourself. Your talent is by no means inferior to Lin Qingluan's."
"With so many Dao traces inscribed upon the Great Dao Stele, who has ever comprehended a Great Dao from it? Only you, Elder Lu."
"Of course, the crucial reason is actually your second Great Dao—which ought to be the 'Eternal Sword Dao,' correct?"
"Lin Qingluan's primary path is the Sword Dao. Her talent in the sword is extraordinary, so if she is to comprehend a tenth Great Dao, it must be a Sword Dao. And the stronger the Dao of her dual cultivation partner, the greater her chances of comprehending that tenth Great Dao."
"Therefore, Lin Qingluan has come this time to verify whether your Eternal Sword Dao truly reigns supreme among all Sword Daos," the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect Master said with a faint smile.
Lu Changsheng fell silent.
He felt as if he had dropped a rock on his own foot.
When he had simulated the Eternal Sword Dao back then, he had only wanted to display an open, supreme Great Dao to elevate his combat prowess to new heights and fight above his rank.
In reality, he still relied upon the power of his Illusory Realm.
Yet who could have foreseen that the Eternal Sword Dao would be so potent?
Potent enough to be hailed as the foremost Sword Dao.
Word of its reputation had spread, thereby drawing the attention of Lin Qingluan, Holy Maiden of the Tianyuan Holy Sect.
In her push toward a tenth Great Dao, Lin Qingluan's target was her most familiar path—the Sword Dao.
Yet she had already comprehended a Sword Dao.
Trying to comprehend a second Sword Dao as her tenth Great Dao was as difficult as reaching the heavens.
Unless someone possessed a Sword Dao even more powerful than hers—
one that outright crushed her Sword Dao.
Only then could she use her dual cultivation technique to comprehend the other person's Sword Dao.
However, across the entire Dark Domain, Lin Qingluan had already visited every exceptionally gifted sword-cultivating Great Saint one by one.
In terms of pure Sword Dao, not a single one could crush hers.
Even those whose Daos surpassed hers did not reach the level of overwhelming dominance, making them useless for helping her comprehend a tenth Great Dao.
Therefore, the cultivation realm of her dual cultivation partner did not matter, but the Great Dao they manifested was paramount.
And just then, Lu Changsheng had emerged.
He had displayed the Eternal Sword Dao, spreading his name throughout the Dark Domain.
"Can I refuse?" Lu Changsheng asked with a frown.
His Eternal Sword Dao was ultimately just a simulation.
If he actually engaged in dual cultivation with Lin Qingluan, the secret would be exposed.
It would harm both Lin Qingluan and himself.
Lu Changsheng naturally did not want to agree to a marriage alliance with her.
The Dao Comprehension Holy Sect Master did not seem surprised. Smiling, he said, "Do not be so hasty, Elder Lu. Hear the terms offered by the Tianyuan Holy Sect first. In truth, I originally did not wish to agree either, but they simply offered too much..."
With that, the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect Master laid out every condition offered by the Tianyuan Holy Sect.
Every manner of cultivation technique, treasure, and resource was included.
The Tianyuan Holy Sect even possessed treasures similar to the Great Dao Stele, which would be opened to Lu Changsheng free of charge.
He could contemplate them for as long as he wished.
The Tianyuan Holy Sect would be only too eager for Lu Changsheng to comprehend even more Great Daos.
As long as Lu Changsheng agreed, the Tianyuan Holy Sect would spare no effort to aid his cultivation.
Crucially, dual cultivating with Lin Qingluan would not put Lu Changsheng at a disadvantage in the slightest.
Dual cultivation was mutually beneficial.
Lin Qingluan could comprehend a tenth Great Dao through Lu Changsheng, and likewise, Lu Changsheng would have a very high probability of comprehending another Great Dao as well.
In fact, the lower one's cultivation realm and the fewer Great Daos one possessed, the greater the benefits received.
This had been the founding Emperor's original intent when creating this technique: mutual benefit, not harming others for self-gain.
There was yet another critical reason.
Once Lu Changsheng and Lin Qingluan dual cultivated, allowing Lin Qingluan to break through to ten-Dao Great Saint and subsequently attain Emperor, what would that signify?
It signified that Lu Changsheng's wife would be an Emperor!
Standing atop the absolute pinnacle of the Dark Domain.
With such backing, one could stride across the Dark Domain without fear.
Likewise, though the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect valued Lu Changsheng immensely, they were by no means certain he could become an Emperor.
Lin Qingluan, on the other hand, held genuine promise of achieving it.
Once she became an Emperor, ties between the Tianyuan Holy Sect and the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect would deepen significantly.
This would bring immense advantages to the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect as well.
After all, the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect still had to contend with the heavenly demon in the Heavenly Demon Forbidden Zone.
To the sect, that heavenly demon was like a fishbone lodged in their throat.
Having an Emperor as an ally would change everything.
That was why the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect was pushing so earnestly to advance this marriage alliance with the Tianyuan Holy Sect.
It was simply because the Tianyuan Holy Sect had offered far too much.
No matter how one looked at it, the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect could not refuse.
Lu Changsheng sank into contemplation.
He naturally had no desire to enter a marriage alliance with Lin Qingluan.
If Lin Qingluan truly became a nine-Dao Great Saint and the time came for dual cultivation, he would only have one path left: fleeing back to chaos.
If that happened, Lu Changsheng would likely find it very difficult to return to the Dark Domain.
That was not an outcome Lu Changsheng wanted.
He still wanted to use the Dark Domain origin power to cultivate his Illusory Realm to perfection as soon as possible.
If he fled back to chaos, obtaining Dark Domain origin power would become nearly impossible.
Yet given the present circumstances, he was in no position to flatly refuse.
A refusal would infuriate both the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect and the Tianyuan Holy Sect, and could even arouse suspicion.
After all, this was an extraordinary boon delivered right to his doorstep.
From any perspective, it offered hundredfold benefits and not a single drawback.
Why would Lu Changsheng possibly refuse?
Seeing Lu Changsheng's hesitation, the Sect Master smiled.
"Elder Lu, whether this marriage alliance succeeds is not entirely up to you. It also depends on how your Eternal Sword Dao holds up—whether it can win Lin Qingluan's approval. If it cannot, Lin Qingluan will never agree to an alliance with you either."
Realization struck Lu Changsheng.
Indeed—it still required Lin Qingluan's approval.
Lu Changsheng's Eternal Sword Dao was simulated, and its might was undeniably formidable.
Yet what if Lin Qingluan did not accept it?
She was, after all, an eight-Dao Great Saint.
The Sword Dao she manifested was among the finest of her eight Great Daos.
Winning her approval would be anything but easy.
Lin Qingluan had surely sought out more people than just Lu Changsheng.
She had visited many other Great Saints before him, including high-rank Great Saints, yet none of them had satisfied her standards.
Right now, Lin Qingluan merely held an interest.
The specifics would depend on what happened after they met.
"I can meet with Lin Qingluan," Lu Changsheng agreed.
Meeting first was the best course.
If his Eternal Sword Dao failed to satisfy Lin Qingluan, the trouble would resolve itself naturally.
And if she did approve, he could think of a solution then.
"Good."
"You have just returned to the sect, Elder Lu. Would you like to rest for a few days first?"
Lu Changsheng shook his head. "No matter. Let us go now."
He was a Great Saint; five years of travel did not affect his condition in the slightest.
Besides, Lu Changsheng would have preferred his condition to be as poor as possible.
Yet his Great Dao had already been manifested.
Whether his condition was good or bad, its power remained unchanged.
"Then follow me."
The Dao Comprehension Holy Sect Master led Lu Changsheng to the Martial Arts Field.
Yes, the Martial Arts Field.
An Emperor-grade array was laid down here, allowing even high-rank Great Saints to unleash their Great Daos to their hearts' content.
Soon, a group of unfamiliar cultivators arrived at the field.
Whoosh.
Lu Changsheng looked up, and his gaze met an incoming pair of eyes.
He saw the Tianyuan Holy Sect's Holy Maiden, Lin Qingluan.
Truth be told, her temperament, features, and figure were all nearly flawless.
Her aura was especially striking.
An eight-Dao Great Saint with prospects of becoming an Emperor.
Her sharp, vibrant vigor was a stark contrast to the aged Great Saints of the world.
Lin Qingluan was studying Lu Changsheng as well.
Her first impression was youth.
Yes, youth.
This youth was not merely about youthful looks.
Practically everyone who reached Great Saint maintained a youthful appearance.
Rather, it was an intangible aura and disposition that conveyed true youth.
In truth, Lu Changsheng was indeed very young.
Of course, he was already over fifteen thousand years old, making him far older than Lin Qingluan.
However, he was a chaos lifeform.
For a chaos lifeform, what did fifteen thousand years amount to?
Not even a single epoch.
He was exceedingly young.
Thus, calling Lu Changsheng young was entirely accurate.
As for his cultivation, without him deliberately manifesting his Great Daos, Lin Qingluan could not discern it.
Of course, she had gathered information: Lu Changsheng was a two-Dao Great Saint.
Compared to her, his cultivation was naturally quite low.
However, that did not matter.
What she valued was his Sword Dao.
"Elder Lu, I presume you are already familiar with the proposed alliance?" Lin Qingluan spoke slowly.
Her heart was placid, as if this marriage alliance had nothing to do with her.
In truth, Lin Qingluan had attempted potential alliances time and again with various individuals, yet in the end, not a single one had caught her eye, and the proposals had all fallen through.
This Lu Changsheng would likely be no different.
By now, Lin Qingluan harbored little expectation.
If she wished to comprehend a tenth Great Dao, she would probably have to find another way, or manifest a different type of Dao entirely; a Sword Dao seemed all but hopeless.
Still, since she was already here, she might as well give it a try.
"I understand. In that case, I ask the Holy Maiden for guidance!" Lu Changsheng nodded.
Words were useless; testing it was what mattered.
Boom!
In the next instant, Lu Changsheng manifested a colossal divine sword.
The divine sword emanated terrifying sword intent.
This was the Eternal Sword Dao!
Though it was merely a single Great Dao, virtually every Great Saint present could withstand it without issue.
However, the sensation this Eternal Sword Dao imparted to them was fundamentally different.
"This kind of Sword Dao..."
Within Lin Qingluan's previously unruffled mind, faint ripples finally stirred.
This Eternal Sword Dao truly seemed distinct from the rest.
It was enough to pique even her interest.
Without hesitation, Lin Qingluan unleashed one of her own Sword Daos.
Rumble!
Lin Qingluan's Sword Dao manifested as well, spanning the void.
It was completely different from Lu Changsheng's Eternal Sword Dao, yet its apparent aura was even more formidable.
However, a clash of Great Daos was never decided by mere appearance; it required a true collision.
All the more so when two Sword Daos met—a clear victor had to be decided!
"Go."
With that, both drove their Sword Daos forward.
Lu Changsheng had simulated the Eternal Sword Dao through his Illusory Realm, and even with so many high-rank Great Saints watching, none had detected a flaw.
That alone demonstrated just how miraculous his Illusory Realm was.
Perhaps only an Emperor could have spotted a clue.
Regrettably, there was no Emperor here.
In fact, neither Holy Sect currently possessed an active Emperor.
Lu Changsheng had no way to deliberately concede or discreetly dial back the power of the Eternal Sword Dao.
Under so many watching eyes, he could only unleash the true power of the Eternal Sword Dao—which was, in reality, the power of his Illusory Realm.
Then, the two Great Daos slammed violently into each other.
There was no trickery or embellishment.
Which Dao was stronger was starkly apparent: the strong was strong, and the weak was weak.
Crack!
At last, a crisp sound echoed.
The surrounding Great Saints stared intently at the point where the two Great Daos collided in the void.
That sound meant one of the Daos had fractured.
Yet whose Dao was it?
Soon, everyone saw clearly.
Between the two Great Daos, it was actually Lin Qingluan's Dao that bore a hairline fracture.
Though the crack was minuscule, barely perceptible unless one looked closely, its very presence spoke volumes.
The clashes continued.
Once, twice, thrice, four times, five times...
Finally, after merely nine collisions, Lin Qingluan called a halt.
Her Sword Dao was riddled with cracks, swaying on the brink of collapse.
It looked ready to shatter at any moment.
Looking at Lu Changsheng's Eternal Sword Dao, on the other hand, there was not the slightest hint of damage.
Dominance!
This was complete, overwhelming dominance!
Everyone's eyes went wide, filled with disbelief.
Even the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect Master had known in his heart that for Lu Changsheng's Eternal Sword Dao to overcome Lin Qingluan's was virtually impossible; the probability was minuscule. After all, Lin Qingluan had bested countless Sword Daos before.
Yet the result was a one-sided crushing.
Lu Changsheng's Sword Dao had utterly crushed Lin Qingluan's.
It was simply insane.
Utterly incredible.
Even Lin Qingluan stared with wide eyes.
Her placid mind finally experienced a true tremor.
It was no longer mere ripples, but a raging tempest.
Yet mingled within her shock was a thread of excitement.
Her Sword Dao had been crushed.
Was this not the very Sword Dao she had sought so desperately?
"The Eternal Sword Dao... What a magnificent Eternal Sword Dao! It truly deserves the title of the foremost Sword Dao of all eternity!"
"I concede..."
Lin Qingluan conceded of her own accord.
She recalled her Sword Dao.
Though riddled with fractures, it had not shattered after all.
A period of secluded cultivation would suffice to restore it.
Besides, what did slight damage to her Sword Dao matter?
She had finally found a Sword Dao that satisfied her!
The marriage alliance could proceed!
Her chances of attaining the Emperor realm in the future would soar.
Only Lu Changsheng felt a chill in his heart.
In the end, he had still won.
Even though his Eternal Sword Dao was only a simulation, it had been formed by clashing and merging countless Sword Daos within his Illusory Realm.
Inside the Illusory Realm, it was a genuine Sword Dao.
Saying the Eternal Sword Dao surpassed Lin Qingluan's Sword Dao was not wrong either.
After all, other Great Saints did not have his advantage of clashing and fusing myriad Great Daos within an Illusory Realm to birth a new Dao.
The Great Saints of the Dark Domain condensed their Great Daos through sudden flashes of inspiration.
They could not polish and refine them indefinitely.
How could they stand against an Eternal Sword Dao forged from the synthesis of countless Daos?
Unfortunately, because the Eternal Sword Dao was too strong, it had become a trouble instead.
A massive trouble!
"Fellow Daoist Lu, after today, my Tianyuan Holy Sect will announce to the world that you are my future Dao companion."
"As soon as I master the ninth Great Dao, we will hold our grand wedding!"
"Every single promise made to you will be fulfilled without shortchanging you a bit. What do you say, Fellow Daoist Lu?"
Lin Qingluan gazed at Lu Changsheng with her beautiful eyes, seeming to study him carefully.
Previously, she had felt indifferent; anyone was the same.
Yet now that Lu Changsheng was truly chosen, something felt different.
The more she looked at him, the more pleasing he seemed.
After all, this was the Dao companion who might accompany her through countless years, standing with her through life and death!
Everyone's eyes fell upon Lu Changsheng.
At such a moment, Lu Changsheng knew he could not refuse.
A refusal would carry grave consequences.
So be it.
Lu Changsheng made up his mind.
He would agree for now.
The grand wedding was still a long way off.
The wedding would only occur once Lin Qingluan comprehended a ninth Great Dao and became a nine-Dao Great Saint.
That would take a very long time—several thousand years, or even longer.
It was even possible she might never become a nine-Dao Great Saint in her entire life.
Several thousand years would be more than enough time for Lu Changsheng to accumulate vast amounts of Dark Domain origin power.
As for what happened thousands of years from now, he would deal with it when the time came.
"Agreed."
Lu Changsheng kept his words sparse, yet his meaning was plain and unmistakable.
He had accepted.
At once, smiles broke out all around.
This was an outcome that delighted everyone.
The Tianyuan Holy Sect and the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect joined in strength, and Lin Qingluan had found a suitable Dao companion with hopes of attaining Emperor in the future—how could anyone not be overjoyed?
"Then I shall stay at the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect a while longer, so that Fellow Daoist Lu and I may get to know each other better."
Lin Qingluan clearly wished to interact more with Lu Changsheng.
After all, he was her future Dao companion.
Though cultivators did not dwell on mortal romantic passions, Dao companions still needed mutual understanding and alignment of minds; getting to know each other was essential.
No one wanted to spend eternity facing a Dao companion they disliked.
And so, Lin Qingluan took up residence.
Nevertheless, this did not delay the Tianyuan Holy Sect in publicizing the news.
The very next day, the Tianyuan Holy Sect publicly announced Lin Qingluan's decision.
Together with the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect, they announced that Lin Qingluan and Lu Changsheng were betrothed as Dao companions, and that their official wedding would take place once Lin Qingluan became a nine-Dao Great Saint.
The moment the news broke, the entire Dark Domain erupted into an uproar!
Chapter 474