Return to the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect, the Heavenly Demon Goes Mad!

Lu Changsheng did not know whether he could contend with an Emperor. Yet he could now feel the immense power of his Illusory Realm. No cultivator at the Great Saint level was his match any longer. A step beyond an Invincible Great Saint—what would that be considered? A half-step Emperor? Of course, there was no such thing as a half-step Emperor realm. "According to the descriptions in the World Master legacy cultivation technique, once the world undergoes nine re-evolutions, one can actually attempt to let the Illusory Realm undergo metamorphosis." "Once it transforms into a true world, one can become a World Master." "And a true world... is capable of birthing life! It must be a world where life can thrive and survive—only that is a true world..." Lu Changsheng murmured softly. He followed the World Master cultivation system. Yet his "world" was not a true "world"; it was merely an Illusory Realm. Even if an Illusory Realm manifested into tangible substance, it was still an Illusory Realm. For a true world had to be capable of bringing forth life. At present, Lu Changsheng's Illusory Realm appeared complete and consummate, but in reality, it could not give birth to life and was not a true world. When undergoing the metamorphosis to become a World Master, it was best to make the breakthrough in the Great Universe. If one broke through within a plane, the world within the World Master's body would clash with the plane. The plane's will would then interfere with the breakthrough, making failure very likely. However, causing the Illusory Realm to metamorphose into a true world was far from easy. The process was extraordinarily perilous. In particular, Lu Changsheng's Illusory Realm had been modeled after the Dark Domain itself. Once the metamorphosis succeeded, even among World Masters, his realm's foundation would be unimaginably profound. Yet the deeper the foundation, the greater the danger. He had to prepare thoroughly. If Lu Changsheng rashly forced the Illusory Realm to metamorphose, failure was exceedingly probable. There were ways to make the metamorphosis smoother and raise the chances of success. One was to integrate curiosities born in the Great Universe to make the Illusory Realm incomparably stable, allowing it to withstand the strain of metamorphosis. Alternatively, certain curiosities contained terrifying vitality, or even rules of life. Integrating them would likewise facilitate the metamorphosis. Yet where could Lu Changsheng find such treasures? He had never even set foot in the Great Universe. Naturally, there was another method, tailored specifically for World Masters blessed with transcendent comprehension: To comprehend life itself. To comprehend various rules. The so-called rules were, in truth, the Great Daos. Legends spoke of the Three Thousand Great Daos, but in reality, that was merely a broad concept. One Great Dao could combine with others, branching into countless forms. As for the Great Dao of Life... That was indeed peculiar. Thinking carefully, Lu Changsheng realized that seemingly no one in the Dark Domain had comprehended the Great Dao of Life. Even if someone had, they were bound to be exceedingly rare—at least, he had never heard of any. "Comprehending Daos..." Lu Changsheng knew this would be an arduous, drawn-out process. He might need to comprehend not merely one or two, nor even a hundred or two hundred, but perhaps thousands or tens of thousands of Daos. Yet now was not the time to ponder comprehending Daos. Lu Changsheng prepared to emerge from seclusion first to take a look. After all, he had been in seclusion for more than one hundred and twenty years and had no idea how things stood outside. Most of all, across these hundred-plus years, Lin Qingluan had barely disturbed him. He did not know what had come of the matter concerning Emperor Fantian. Whoosh. Taking a step forward, Lu Changsheng exited the quiet room. "Hm?" Outside, a familiar figure entered his field of vision. Lin Qingluan. She had been waiting right outside the quiet room. "Changsheng, you're finally out. How was your cultivation?" A smile surfaced on Lin Qingluan's face. "A success! I've smoothly broken through to a realm equivalent to a nine-Dao Great Saint. Qingluan, have you been standing guard here the whole time?" Lu Changsheng asked. Lin Qingluan shook her head. "No. I answered Emperor Fantian's conscription and made a trip to the front lines of the two-realm war. Fortunately, I ran into no real danger last time, and I didn't exert myself much, so I managed to muddle through for ten years." Doing the math, Lu Changsheng knew that over the course of more than a hundred and twenty years, it was completely normal for Lin Qingluan to have visited the front-line battlefield. "Let me see your Divine Tree of Fortune." Lin Qingluan brought out the Divine Tree of Fortune. Lu Changsheng looked closely. With a single glance, he could tell the tree had absorbed a massive amount of origin power. Its origin power had surged, clearly as a result of being by Lin Qingluan's side. It seemed her claim of merely "going through the motions" to pass ten years had not been nearly as light and breezy as she made it sound. "Tell me about the battlefield." Lin Qingluan nodded, then gave a thorough, detailed account of the two-realm war. From her words, Lu Changsheng learned that the war was indeed brutally tragic. Those at the Saint Realm were nothing more than cannon fodder. Great Saints were only slightly better than cannon fodder. Only high-rank Great Saints could be considered the backbone of the army. As for Emperors and source lifeforms, they remained supreme entities standing at the very pinnacle. "You're saying that in this two-realm war, the Emperors are far more eager than the source lifeforms?" "Yes. The primary driving force behind the war is likely the Emperors. The reason is simple: an Emperor's lifespan falls far short of a source lifeform's. If they want to live a second life, a third life, or live on indefinitely, this war is their opportunity. Emperors seem to gain benefits from it that help them survive longer." Lu Changsheng grew thoughtful. With a stir of thought, he immediately summoned the Fire Kui Beast. "Fire Kui, you followed Divine Emperor Dayan for countless years. Do you know why Emperors so actively push for the two-realm war?" Lu Changsheng asked. The Fire Kui Beast glanced at Lin Qingluan, aware of Lu Changsheng's trust in her, and said, "Master, the reason Emperors push for the two-realm war is quite simple: to vie for fortune." "For an Emperor to live a second or third life, they require a continuous supply of fortune. And for them, the greatest opportunity to seize fortune is the two-realm war. In truth, this is also a clash between the will of the Dark Domain and the will of chaos." "However, even with vast fortune, an Emperor cannot live forever. Back then, my old master could not live out another life, so he had no choice but to take the risk and venture into the Great Universe..." Lu Changsheng understood. This involved the will of the Dark Domain and the will of chaos. The Emperors were, in reality, merely spurred on by the Dark Domain's will. What Emperor would not want to live another life? Even Divine Emperor Dayan had been unable to live another life. Otherwise, why would he have risked entering the Great Universe? "If that's the case, stopping the two-realm war is likely out of the question..." Lin Qingluan murmured softly. Lu Changsheng did not mind that. He had never harbored any thought of stopping the war. So long as it did not fall upon his own head, he was fine with it. The crux of the matter, however, was that Lin Qingluan and the Tianyuan Holy Sect were in Emperor Fantian's grip. They dared not defy him in the slightest and could only head to the front lines. Though she had encountered no danger the first time, what about a second time, or a third? The best approach was not to go to the front lines and not to participate at all. "Fortune..." Lu Changsheng sank into deep contemplation. In truth, since Lin Qingluan possessed the Divine Tree of Fortune, the more fortune she gathered, the more advantageous it was for her. In this two-realm war, the one who stood to benefit the most was Lin Qingluan. "Master, are you concerned for Mistress's safety?" the Fire Kui Beast suddenly spoke up. The "Mistress" it referred to was naturally Lin Qingluan. "Hm? Do you have an idea?" Both Lu Changsheng and Lin Qingluan looked at the beast. "Master, Mistress could actually try refining the Divine Tree of Fortune." "In the two-realm war, if Mistress refines the Divine Tree of Fortune, she can use the war to absorb massive amounts of fortune, which will be of immense benefit when advancing to an Emperor later on." "Furthermore, the tree itself is extraordinary. Once refined, Mistress will gain life-saving measures. Its abilities are miraculous and unfathomable—otherwise, it wouldn't be a treasure of the Great Universe." The Fire Kui Beast laid out the solution in one breath. "Won't refining the Divine Tree of Fortune trigger the backlash of the Dark Domain?" Lu Changsheng asked. "As long as she does not advance to Emperor, refining it will cause no harm." "Mistress must keep this firmly in mind: never attempt to advance to Emperor yet. Otherwise, not even my former master, Divine Emperor Dayan, could withstand the backlash of the entire Dark Domain. Only when Master becomes a true World Master and merges his world into the Boundary Sea, attaining immortality, can you attempt to become an Emperor, as Master will then be able to shield Mistress from the Dark Domain's backlash." The Fire Kui Beast gave this warning with a solemn expression. "If you can refine the Divine Tree of Fortune now, it will indeed be a tremendous boon," Lu Changsheng nodded. He turned his gaze toward Lin Qingluan. In any case, whether to refine it or not was for Lin Qingluan to decide. "Then I will refine it!" Lin Qingluan resolved decisively. Refining the Divine Tree of Fortune would grant her more means of self-preservation and keep her safer during the war, sparing Lu Changsheng worry. Besides, the Fire Kui Beast made complete sense. Given the current state of the war, both sides were fighting frantically over fortune. Since she was physically present on the battlefield, passing up the chance to absorb that fortune would be an utter waste. Why have the Divine Tree of Fortune and not use it? "Qingluan, I will stand guard for you. If anything feels amiss, stop refining the tree immediately," Lu Changsheng said solemnly. "I understand." Lin Qingluan nodded. Thus, Lu Changsheng stood guard, silently watching over her while she began refining the Divine Tree of Fortune. Years slipped by. Refining the Divine Tree of Fortune was evidently no simple feat. Even though Lin Qingluan was a nine-Dao Great Saint giving it her all, it still took a considerable amount of time. A full thirty years flashed past. Rumble. Lin Qingluan emerged from seclusion. Lu Changsheng opened his eyes. "Qingluan, did you succeed?" Looking at her, Lu Changsheng's eyes narrowed slightly. She stood right before him, her cultivation showing no change, still that of a nine-Dao Great Saint. Yet Lu Changsheng faintly sensed that she was somehow different. He could not put his finger on exactly what had changed, but a shift had certainly occurred. "I succeeded," she said. "In fact, it's even better than imagined! Changsheng, do you still need origin power?" Lu Changsheng glanced at his attribute panel. His Illusory Realm's progress had reached 27%. During these thirty years, he had refined the remaining twenty-seven wisps of Dark Domain origin power. It turned out that even after nine evolutions, the Illusory Realm could still absorb Dark Domain origin power. Of course, even if the Illusory Realm reached perfection, Lu Changsheng would not dare let it metamorphose yet. Still, a perfected Illusory Realm would certainly benefit the metamorphosis. "I'm still short seventy-three wisps of origin power," Lu Changsheng answered directly. Gathering seventy-three wisps of Dark Domain origin power was not difficult for him; he merely needed time, and he would gather them sooner or later. "Seventy-three wisps?" Lin Qingluan extended her hand. Buzz. A phantasmal projection of the Divine Tree of Fortune materialized above her palm. Immediately following that, wisp after wisp of Dark Domain origin power appeared in her hand. Exactly seventy-three wisps of Dark Domain origin power. "This is..." Lu Changsheng was shaken. When had Lin Qingluan obtained so much Dark Domain origin power? Could she have gathered it during the two-realm war? Yet Lin Qingluan was only a Great Saint; she had no way of gathering Dark Domain origin power. "Wait, could it be the Divine Tree of Fortune?" Lu Changsheng thought of the possibility. Lin Qingluan explained, "Changsheng, these wisps of Dark Domain origin power were actually accumulated by the Divine Tree of Fortune over time. Normally, this origin power is used to bear Divine Fruits of Fortune. Those fruits do not merely contain Dark Domain origin power; they possess all manner of miraculous properties. Refining them just for origin power is an utter waste." "Now that I've refined the Divine Tree of Fortune, I can directly mobilize the origin power stored within it. You can have as much origin power as you need now." "Even if it runs out, the tree will replenish it after a period of accumulation." Realization dawned upon Lu Changsheng. It really was the Divine Tree of Fortune. Who would have thought refining it would grant such an ability, allowing her to extract origin power directly? Still, Lu Changsheng only needed these seventy-three wisps. Once his Illusory Realm reached completion, he would have no further need for Dark Domain origin power. What he needed was to pour all his efforts into reconstructing Great Dao after Great Dao within the Illusory Realm, pushing it to its absolute limits in preparation for its metamorphosis into a true world. Lu Changsheng did not stand on ceremony and accepted the seventy-three wisps of Dark Domain origin power. "Next, I will focus entirely on comprehending the Daos inscribed on the Great Dao Disc," Lu Changsheng said. "To allow the Illusory Realm to metamorphose into a true world, the more Daos, the better. The Great Dao of Life would be best of all. Qingluan, do you know if any Great Saint in the Dark Domain has mastered the Great Dao of Life?" The Great Dao of Life was vital to him. "The Great Dao of Life?" "This..." Lin Qingluan furrowed her brows in contemplation. After a long while, she shook her head. "I've never heard of anyone who has mastered the Great Dao of Life." Lu Changsheng was not overly disappointed. It was only natural. Even the World Master cultivation system placed immense importance on the Great Dao and rules of life, showing how exceptionally difficult they were. The same went for the Great Daos of Time and Space; so far, he had never heard of anyone mastering either of them. However, the metamorphosis of Lu Changsheng's Illusory Realm required neither time nor space—from the moment his Illusory Realm was born, it already possessed both. Yet he needed the Great Dao of Life. Now it seemed that comprehending it through other Great Saints was impossible, so he would have to find a way himself. Lu Changsheng first went to the Great Dao Disc. The disc contained a vast number of Great Daos. For Lu Changsheng, comprehending and reconstructing one of these Daos took only two years. By his rough count, there were well over a thousand Daos inscribed upon the disc—more than enough to keep him occupied for a long time. "A pity there's still no Great Dao of Life..." Lu Changsheng examined it and confirmed its absence. Still, that was no matter; he could reconstruct other Daos first. And so, Lu Changsheng began reconstructing Daos one by one. Ten, twenty... Just as he finished reconstructing twenty Daos, Lin Qingluan came to take her leave. "Changsheng, I've received a summons and must head to the two-realm battlefield again." Lu Changsheng nodded. "Take utmost care. Unless absolutely necessary, do not expose the Divine Tree of Fortune," he cautioned. Lin Qingluan understood. Even with the tree, nothing was foolproof; who could predict what might happen? Fortunately, under normal circumstances, she would return in ten years. Lu Changsheng continued reconstructing Daos. One, three, five... He reconstructed another five Daos. By rights, ten years had passed, yet there was still no word from Lin Qingluan. Because she was on the battlefield, Lu Changsheng had no way to send transmissions and knew nothing of the situation on the front. All he could do was wait. Whoosh. Suddenly, a figure appeared inside the Great Dao Disc chamber. "Qingluan?" "You're finally back." Seeing Lin Qingluan, Lu Changsheng felt a wave of relief. She had made it through without mishap. Lin Qingluan nodded, smiling. "There was no real danger on this trip, but the gains were immense. I never expected that after refining the Divine Tree of Fortune, I'd be able to absorb so much fortune on the battlefield. This fortune can even push my cultivation further." "Given time, once enough fortune accumulates, I might even be able to draw upon the vast fortune within the Divine Tree of Fortune to comprehend a tenth Great Dao directly!" Lin Qingluan was visibly elated. This was an unexpected windfall. In truth, after learning Lu Changsheng was a chaos lifeform, she had given up on the notion of comprehending a tenth Great Dao through dual cultivation. Yet unexpectedly, the Divine Tree of Fortune he had brought provided another path to mastering a tenth Dao. Difficult though it might be, as long as the war continued and she could harvest more fortune from the battlefield, she had a genuine opportunity. "That's great news," Lu Changsheng said. "Still, caution is paramount on the battlefield. Your current approach is ideal—going once every hundred-odd years, staying for ten years, and returning promptly to accumulate steadily. This war won't end anytime soon." Lin Qingluan nodded. "Right. Since you need to comprehend the Great Dao of Life, I heard on the battlefield that a source lifeform from chaos possesses a supreme treasure called Life Spring Water. It's said to have wondrous effects. Perhaps you could seek some Life Spring Water to see if you can comprehend the Great Dao of Life." She had kept Lu Changsheng's objective in mind. Knowing that the Great Dao of Life was of paramount importance to him, she kept an eye out for any information related to "life." "Life Spring Water... I see." Lu Changsheng nodded, committing the name to memory. It was the supreme treasure of a source lifeform. Although he was a chaos lifeform himself, obtaining a supreme treasure from a source lifeform would likely be no easy task. He was in no hurry for now. There were still countless Daos waiting to be reconstructed. And so, Lu Changsheng continued reconstructing Daos. Thirty, fifty, one hundred, two hundred... In the blink of an eye, he had reconstructed more than two hundred Daos, and over four hundred years had passed. Yet he still felt no limit. Ever since the ninth re-evolution of the Illusory Realm, his realm had entered an entirely new state, seemingly capable of accommodating vast numbers of Daos. Forget a mere two hundred; even if he added two thousand more, the realm might not reach its limit. In truth, across the vast Great Universe, very few World Masters took the path of comprehending Great Daos and rules to spur the metamorphosis of their Illusory Realm. The path was simply too arduous, demanding an unfathomably high level of comprehension. It might seem easy for Lu Changsheng to comprehend and reconstruct a Dao in merely two years, but that was solely because he possessed top-tier comprehension. Other World Masters, even those with extraordinary talent and astonishing comprehension, could never match such terrifying speed. Comprehending a single Dao might take them decades or a century, and they would eventually hit a wall where further comprehension was impossible. Taking this route meant substituting quantity for quality, forcibly bolstering the Illusory Realm and cramming it full of Daos. It was an unreasonable, brute-force method. Yet that brute-force method was currently Lu Changsheng's only choice. He had no access to the natural treasures of the Great Universe, leaving him with no other option. Even so, this was not enough—far from enough. Even for Lu Changsheng, relying on this method, there was no telling how many Daos he would need to comprehend. Several thousand? That would take thousands of years. To Lu Changsheng, that was an exceptionally long span of time. Time slipped away bit by bit. There were roughly over a thousand Daos on the Great Dao Disc. He had already comprehended many of them, leaving roughly a thousand remaining. In a flash, two thousand years passed. Lu Changsheng had never secluded himself for so long before. Yet at his current realm of cultivation, a mere two thousand years was trivial. "Hm? There are no more Daos left on the Great Dao Disc?" Lu Changsheng paused in surprise. Without realizing it, he had comprehended and reconstructed every single Dao inscribed upon the disc. This was a foundation accumulated by the Tianyuan Holy Sect across countless ages, and now it had all benefited Lu Changsheng. Yet when he inspected his state, even with more than a thousand Daos reconstructed, his Illusory Realm had still not reached its limit. Significant deficiencies remained. Were he to attempt metamorphosis now, the chance of success would be far from guaranteed. Of course, he could make a desperate gamble, which would carry roughly a twenty to thirty percent chance of success. "Never mind. I'll find another way," Lu Changsheng shook his head. He would never gamble on a mere twenty to thirty percent chance. He needed to wait a bit longer. The Tianyuan Holy Sect had run out of Daos, but there was still the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect. The Dao traces on the Great Dao Stele of the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect might be faint and blurred, but they could still be comprehended. At most, it would simply cost him more time. And time was something Lu Changsheng did not lack. Lu Changsheng exited the Great Dao Disc chamber and met with Lin Qingluan. Over the course of those two thousand years, she had visited the two-realm battlefield repeatedly. There had been moments of danger, but all were neutralized by the Divine Tree of Fortune. Two thousand years of accumulation had allowed her to amass an unfathomable amount of fortune. She was now even faintly beginning to attempt comprehending a tenth Great Dao. However, her comprehension was nowhere near Lu Changsheng's. Even with such immense fortune, comprehending a tenth Dao was far from easy; it merely granted her a fighting chance. "Changsheng, now that you've fully mastered all the Daos on the Great Dao Disc, what do you plan to do?" Lin Qingluan asked. "I plan to return to the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect to inspect the Daos on their Great Dao Stele. Though the Dao traces are somewhat blurred, spending a bit more time should still allow me to comprehend them," Lu Changsheng replied. His goal right now was to enrich his foundation by every conceivable means. Lin Qingluan nodded. She could not resist asking, "Changsheng, what level has your strength reached by now? Can you contend with an Emperor?" Naturally, she cared deeply about this. After all, Lu Changsheng had comprehended more than a thousand Daos. That was simply mind-boggling. Of course, his comprehension of over a thousand Daos was not the same as a Great Saint mastering Daos; the Daos he grasped could only be reconstructed within his Illusory Realm. Yet to the realm itself, those Daos were genuine. Mastering over a thousand Daos—the sheer thought of it was baffling. Such a staggering number could not possibly be useless. As a result, Lu Changsheng's current strength was an enigma. Lu Changsheng paused for a moment in silence. "In truth, I don't know either." "I only feel that reconstructing Daos does marginally enhance the Illusory Realm. But to what degree, I cannot say—I have no point of reference, and I've never fought an Emperor..." "How about we test it out?" Lu Changsheng suggested to Lin Qingluan. Lin Qingluan hurriedly shook her head. "Sparring with me is pointless. Even before comprehending over a thousand Daos, you were an Invincible Great Saint—even more terrifying than one." "Still, between a Great Saint and an Emperor lies an insurmountable chasm, a qualitative metamorphosis. Unless there is no other choice, do not confront an Emperor." Lu Changsheng nodded. He would not go provoking an Emperor without cause. Thus, Lu Changsheng left the Tianyuan Holy Sect and returned to the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect. It had been an exceedingly long time since he last set foot there, yet he had not forgotten that he was an elder of the sect. Buzz. The teleportation array activated. Lu Changsheng arrived back at the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect. "Are you... Elder Lu?" A cultivator of the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect recognized him. Even though more than two thousand years had passed since they last saw him, Lu Changsheng's legend had long since spread throughout the Dark Domain. An Invincible Great Saint! The entire Dao Comprehension Holy Sect shared in the glory. Soon, Lu Changsheng met with the Sect Master and the Supreme Elder. Both men now appeared somewhat constrained in Lu Changsheng's presence. It was the natural reaction to his rise in power. An Invincible Great Saint was, to a certain degree, practically on par with an Emperor. "The Dao Comprehension Holy Sect hasn't been drawn into the two-realm war, has it?" Lu Changsheng asked. "Not at all. Tied down as we are by the Heavenly Demon Forbidden Zone, how could we dare participate in the two-realm war? Although an Emperor brought it up previously, unless an Emperor steps in to pin down the heavenly demon, any further talk is out of the question." Lu Changsheng nodded. Indeed, the heavenly demon served as an excellent shield. In the past, the sect had been unable to expand its influence because of the demon and had been thoroughly bogged down by the Heavenly Demon Forbidden Zone. Yet now that the two-realm war had erupted, the demon's presence spared them from joining the fray. Truly, misfortune and blessing were intertwined. "I've returned this time to comprehend Daos with the aid of the Great Dao Stele." "Elder Lu, please help yourself." With that, Lu Changsheng sat down cross-legged beneath the Great Dao Stele once again to comprehend the Daos. Comprehending Daos under the Great Dao Stele was indeed far more arduous than doing so at the Great Dao Disc. It took twice as long, if not more. Yet there were still many Daos preserved upon it, and Lu Changsheng naturally would not pass them up. One hundred, three hundred, five hundred... Who knew how much time slipped by. Perhaps two thousand years? It was roughly that long. Reconstructing five hundred Daos truly did cost Lu Changsheng two millennia. Rumble! Suddenly, the entire Dao Comprehension Holy Sect shook violently. Lu Changsheng snapped his head up. What met his eyes? A claw! A claw so colossal it blotted out the sky was currently slamming mercilessly into the mountain-protecting array of the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect. The array flashed with blinding, violent radiance, sending tremors reverberating through the entire sect. "The heavenly demon?" Lu Changsheng immediately realized what the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect was up against. A heavenly demon rivaling an Emperor! Yet hadn't the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect already reached an agreement with the beast? What madness had possessed this heavenly demon to launch such a brazen, unprovoked assault on the sect?