Challenging Lord Hengguang, Decisive Battle at the Summit of the Universe!

Lu Changsheng immediately set about refining the Divine Tree of Fortune. After all, he was currently in a period of explosive fortune. The sooner he refined the tree, the sooner he could acquire even more fortune and utilize it with greater efficiency. Refining the Divine Tree of Fortune was not particularly difficult for Lu Changsheng. He had even obtained one before, though he had ultimately given it to Lin Qingluan. Back then, Lin Qingluan had needed it more than he did. Things were no different now, except that Lu Changsheng had acquired a second Divine Tree of Fortune. *Hum.* With a sweep of his True Realm, Lu Changsheng drew the Divine Tree of Fortune directly into his internal world. Lu Changsheng was now a true World Master. The True Realm was Lu Changsheng. Therefore, as long as the Divine Tree of Fortune merged seamlessly into the True Realm, it was equivalent to being refined. In practice, it was not difficult at all. One day, two days, three days... As Lu Changsheng refined it, the Divine Tree of Fortune gradually integrated into the True Realm. This period was already when Lu Changsheng was meant to digest his fortune, and the Divine Tree of Fortune came into play at just the right time. Vast amounts of fortune gathered into the tree and then acted upon his soul. Lu Changsheng's soul grew steadily stronger. The sensation was even more intense than the previous time. Roughly three months later, the fortune gradually leveled off past its explosive surge. Only then did Lu Changsheng call up his status panel to inspect it. **Host:** Lu Changsheng **Comprehension:** Top-Tier Comprehension **World Master:** First Realm **True Realm:** 100% (154 expansions) **Ordinary Soul:** 25% (Sinks upon touching water; cannot survive a second in the River of Spacetime) On the status panel, his soul progress had jumped straight to 25%, an increase of 15%. One had to remember that in his previous title defense, he had likewise fought a fierce duel at the Invincible tier, with even greater popularity and more fortune generated, yet it had only increased his soul progress by 10%. This time, it had increased by 15%. Where did the difference lie? It was already obvious. The difference was the Divine Tree of Fortune. This time, Lu Changsheng had refined the tree, whereas last time he had not yet had one. That was where the difference lay. And only a few months had passed. The effect of the Divine Tree of Fortune was truly immense. He still had fifty years of rest and recuperation. During those fifty years, Lu Changsheng would also continue to receive fortune. Once gathered and concentrated by the Divine Tree of Fortune, his fortune would undoubtedly become even more colossal. After some thought, Lu Changsheng went to see Lin Qingluan. In recent years, Lu Changsheng had stayed at the Summit of the Universe, and Lin Qingluan had remained by his side, with barely any good opportunities to cultivate. Now, however, things were different. With a supreme treasure like the Dao Evolution Stone, Lin Qingluan could also comprehend the Great Dao. Moreover, since both of them possessed fortune, the effects of dual cultivation were even better. Thus, Lu Changsheng lent her a hand, transferring some of his own fortune to her through dual cultivation. Naturally, this was done without hindering his own progress. With the aid of this fortune, Lin Qingluan made rapid progress. Lu Changsheng, on the other hand, made use of the Azure Lotus Treasure Lamp to continue expanding his True Realm as usual. In the blink of an eye, another fifty years slipped by. Lu Changsheng's True Realm had expanded 159 times. From the birth of the Great Thousand Realm toward the Divine Realm, his True Realm had expanded forty-four times. Forty-four times was already quite a lot. When his True Realm previously gave birth to the Great Thousand Realm, it had only taken forty-three expansions. However, the further along one progressed, the more expansions were required to give birth to a Divine Realm or a Supreme Realm. Having expanded forty-four times now, Lu Changsheng faintly sensed something. He had touched upon the embryonic form of the Divine Realm. Yet there was undoubtedly still a long way to go before a true Divine Realm came into being. Lu Changsheng was in no hurry. He had plenty of time. He rose and left his cave dwelling. Lin Qingluan was still in closed-door cultivation, so Lu Changsheng did not disturb her. Over the past fifty years, relying on the Dao Evolution Stone and the fortune channeled through dual cultivation with Lu Changsheng, she had made remarkable progress, pouring all her energy into cultivation. Fang Chuan had already been waiting outside for some time. Fifty years had elapsed, which meant it was time for the title defense. "Senior Brother Fang, who is challenging me this time?" Lu Changsheng asked. Every battle brought him a vast amount of fortune, so why wouldn't he welcome it? This time, however, Lu Changsheng was destined for disappointment. "Junior Brother Lu, no one is challenging you this time. Congratulations, you have a bye," Fang Chuan said with a smile. "A bye?" Lu Changsheng's brows furrowed slightly. In truth, he did not want a bye. A bye meant there was no fortune to harvest. "Truly no one is challenging me?" Lu Changsheng asked. "None." "Although the strength you displayed during your previous two defenses didn't seem overwhelmingly dominant, you succeeded twice in a row. That's more than enough to make people wary. It's only normal that no one challenged you." "You can continue cultivating in peace." Fang Chuan had nothing to attend to this time, so he could relax for another fifty years. Lu Changsheng knew there was nothing he could do if no one stepped forward to challenge him. It seemed his hopes of harvesting fortune would fall through this round. "Very well, then I will continue cultivating." Lu Changsheng nodded. As the arena champion, with no one issuing a challenge, all he could do was wait quietly. However, he did not believe that no one would ever challenge him. And so, Lu Changsheng immersed himself in cultivation once again. Fifty years, one hundred years, one hundred and fifty years, two hundred years, two hundred and fifty years, three hundred years... Lu Changsheng waited for a full three hundred years. Three whole centuries amounted to six title defense opportunities, yet Lu Changsheng received a bye every single time. Not a single person chose to challenge him. And once the three hundred years had passed, that made nine byes in total. "Three hundred years, six defense cycles, thirty expansions of the True Realm..." Lu Changsheng glanced at his True Realm. The number of expansions had now reached 189. Even since the Great Thousand Realm had been born, it had expanded a full seventy-four times. "Seventy-four times. Soon. Perhaps the next expansion will give birth to the Divine Realm..." Lu Changsheng murmured softly. He could already clearly feel that the True Realm was on the verge of metamorphosis. His current strength was unimaginably formidable. After all, how terrifying was three hundred years of accumulated destructive power? Not to mention that a Divine Realm was about to be born. Lu Changsheng was now qualified to challenge the supreme combatant at the Summit of the Universe and engage in the summit battle. However, the rest period for the Summit of the Universe was one hundred years. Only twenty years had passed since the last summit battle. In other words, Lu Changsheng still had to wait eighty years before he would be eligible to issue a challenge. And there was only ever one holder of the Summit of the Universe title! Furthermore, what if the timing could not be reconciled—for instance, if two Invincible-tier experts both earned the right to challenge the Summit of the Universe, and neither was willing to wait another hundred years? Then another battle would be held, and the victor would earn the right to challenge the summit. However, such a thing had not happened in a very long time. At most, one simply waited another hundred years. A mere century was nothing to a Transcendent; waiting patiently was all that was needed. There was no reason to engage in a life-and-death duel on the arena stage just to fight over who went first. It simply wasn't necessary. "Then I'll wait another eighty years. In the next decade, the True Realm will expand and give birth to the Divine Realm, and my strength will undergo a qualitative transformation. Only then will I be truly qualified to contest the title of 'Summit of the Universe'!" Lu Changsheng murmured softly, his mind made up. Sure enough, during the very next True Realm expansion, earth-shaking changes occurred within his inner world. *Rumble!* The True Realm shuddered violently. At the same time, the four existing tiers of worlds manifested. Lu Changsheng felt a distinct certainty: the Divine Realm was about to be born! This was the fifth tier of world within his True Realm. Frankly speaking, the upper limit of the previous four tiers was the peak King tier; reaching the Invincible tier had been a stretch. Lu Changsheng had only defeated Invincible-tier experts and become an Invincible-tier champion by relying on accumulated destructive power. Now, the birth of the Divine Realm would thoroughly bring about a qualitative transformation in his True Realm. Lu Changsheng was already intimately familiar with the metamorphosis of the True Realm, so he waited quietly. The True Realm expanded madly. Faintly, above the Great Thousand Realm, colossal figures seemed to emerge. Towering between heaven and earth, these figures radiated terrifying, heart-stopping auras, resembling demonic gods. This was the difference between gods and mortals. Gods possessed divinity and peerless might. They could even create worlds. Therefore, the birth of a Divine Realm was far from being as simple as that of a Lesser Thousand Realm or a Great Thousand Realm. "Hmm?" Suddenly, Lu Changsheng ran into a problem. The phantom of the Divine Realm had appeared, yet it refused to fully condense. "Is it... lacking energy?" With a thought, Lu Changsheng immediately looked toward the Azure Lotus Treasure Lamp. As it turned out, the lamp's undying spark was nearly depleted, unable to support the birth of the Divine Realm. It made sense upon reflection. No matter how powerful the lamp was, his True Realm had expanded dozens of times; it was only natural for it to run dry. However, Lu Changsheng was loaded with wealth. Counting the ten million source crystals Baidi had paid to redeem the Golden Halberd, the number of source crystals in Lu Changsheng's possession had surpassed seventy million! It was a staggering figure. After all, in nearly every match, Lu Changsheng had wagered everything. Having never lost a single battle, he had naturally amassed a massive fortune. Without hesitation, Lu Changsheng retrieved one million source crystals and tossed them directly into the True Realm. *Boom!* With the consumption of vast quantities of source crystals, the energy was replenished. Lu Changsheng watched as the phantom of the Divine Realm became increasingly solid, finally condensing into tangible substance and fully manifesting. "It's done!" Lu Changsheng felt a surge of satisfaction. The True Realm ceased its expansion. An untold number of Great Thousand Realms had been added, combining to form the Divine Realm. High above, this Divine Realm was distinctly separated from the Great Thousand Realm, Lesser Thousand Realm, Spirit Realm, and Mortal Realm, existing in a league of its own! Lu Changsheng could feel the terrifying power contained within the Divine Realm—far surpassing that of the Great Thousand Realm! At this moment, Lu Changsheng truly possessed strength at the Invincible tier. His True Realm was likely unmatched among First Realm World Masters. In a sense, this was his own invincible power: invincibility through the True Realm! However, Lu Changsheng did not emerge from seclusion right away. He carefully examined the present True Realm, primarily checking his chances of successfully breaking through to the Second Realm. He could perceive it with crystal clarity. Back when his True Realm birthed the Great Thousand Realm, he had technically been eligible to attempt the breakthrough, but the probability had been far too low—a mere ten percent or so. Attempting a breakthrough with such low odds was practically seeking death. Now that the Divine Realm had been born, his success rate had surged dramatically to fifty percent, a full forty percent increase. One should not look down on a fifty percent chance; it was already exceptionally high. For many Transcendents, having a thirty percent chance was considered quite good. Even among the absolute elite—the top First Realm cultivators who held the 'Summit of the Universe' title—fifty to sixty percent was the absolute limit. That was why in the vast Great Universe, First Realm Transcendents were numerous, while Second Realm mighty figures dropped off sharply, becoming exceedingly scarce. For most First Realm Transcendents, having a thirty percent chance was enough to gamble their lives on. Yet even thirty percent was difficult to reach. When Fang Chuan attempted the breakthrough to the Second Realm, he had only had a thirty percent chance of success. Fortunately, luck had been on his side, and he succeeded. Many other peak First Realm disciples of Mount Feilong were not so fortunate, and many had failed. If properly prepared, failing a breakthrough to the Second Realm would not kill a cultivator, but it would deplete their foundation. Fail once, and the odds of success on a subsequent attempt would plummet. Therefore, for all Transcendents, breaking through to the Second Realm was effectively a one-shot opportunity. Unless driven to extremity or possessing tremendous certainty, one avoided attempting it lightly and instead made exhaustive preparations. Lu Changsheng was no exception; a fifty percent chance was not enough to make him take the risk. After all, his True Realm had not yet reached its limit. It had only birthed the Divine Realm; the highest tier, the Supreme Realm, had yet to be born. Once the Supreme Realm came into being, his success rate would surely surge even higher. This was the power of his Dimension Ascension Method. Even at this stage, his True Realm was far from reaching its upper limit, making it superior to most peak cultivation methods. Lu Changsheng sensed his inner world a bit further. Expanding the True Realm once now required one million source crystals! The consumption had multiplied tenfold once again. Previously, an expansion had only required one hundred thousand source crystals. Lu Changsheng still had sixty-nine million source crystals remaining, which was more than enough. Besides, he could always earn more source crystals. Furthermore, once the Azure Lotus Treasure Lamp rested for a period, it would recover somewhat and could likewise be used to expand the True Realm. "There are still seventy years left, enough for seven expansions. Then let's keep expanding..." Having mapped out his cultivation plan, Lu Changsheng continued expanding the True Realm. In the blink of an eye, seventy years passed. Lu Changsheng opened his eyes. He immediately called up his status panel to review his current status. **Host:** Lu Changsheng **Comprehension:** Top-Tier Comprehension **World Master:** First Realm **True Realm:** 100% (197 expansions) **Ordinary Soul:** 35% (Sinks upon touching water; cannot survive a second in the River of Spacetime) The number of expansions had reached 197. That meant since the birth of the Divine Realm, he had expanded seven more times. Birthing the Divine Realm had taken seventy-five expansions. Giving birth to the Supreme Realm would certainly require far more than seventy-five. The seven expansions had consumed seven million source crystals, which, added to the previous million, totaled eight million. Lu Changsheng glanced at his source crystals: over sixty-two million remained. He had plenty left. What he valued even more was his soul progress, which had reached 35%—a 10% increase from the previous 25%. This was the fortune the Divine Tree of Fortune had absorbed bit by bit over all these years. To increase by another 10% was quite satisfying to Lu Changsheng. "It's time to head out. The rest period for the expert who held the 'Summit of the Universe' title is up. He can be challenged now." A sharp glint flashed in Lu Changsheng's eyes. Not only had he birthed the Divine Realm, but he had also accumulated nearly four hundred years of destructive power. How terrifying was that? Facing any First Realm Transcendent, Lu Changsheng was ready to do battle! He rose and left his cave dwelling. Lin Qingluan had already emerged from seclusion. "Changsheng," she greeted him with a smile. "Hmm? Qingluan, did you fuse a new Great Dao?" Lu Changsheng noticed the change in her at a glance. "Thanks to the fortune you shared and the Dao Evolution Stone, I was able to fuse a Great Dao. My cultivation has progressed rapidly!" Lin Qingluan seemed delighted as well. She did not seek to surpass Lu Changsheng or walk ahead of him; she only hoped he would not leave her too far behind, and that she could at least keep pace with his footsteps. Lu Changsheng nodded. Lin Qingluan's cultivation speed was indeed fast. With a combination of supreme treasures like the Divine Tree of Fortune and the Dao Evolution Stone, it was hard not to be fast. Not to mention that Lu Changsheng periodically transferred fortune to her through dual cultivation, accelerating her cultivation even further. Lu Changsheng noticed that Fang Chuan was also present. "Senior Brother Fang, can I issue my challenge now?" Lu Changsheng asked. "You can," Fang Chuan said slowly. "The current holder of the 'Summit of the Universe' title is Lord Hengguang." "Lord Hengguang has held the title for thirty-six consecutive terms, which equates to thirty-six hundred years. Even among the many experts who have held the title, he stands out as an elite." "Actually, I was hoping you would wait another hundred years and let someone else challenge him first. Lord Hengguang has already announced that this is his final defense. After this, he will attempt to break through to the Second Realm." "With the immense fortune accumulated from holding the 'Summit of the Universe' title for thirty-six hundred years, he will likely have little trouble breaking through. Once he becomes a Second Realm mighty figure, the next Summit of the Universe will be decided among several Invincible-tier experts battling it out to determine the new champion." "Can an Invincible-tier arena champion choose never to challenge the Summit of the Universe?" Lu Changsheng asked. "Yes, you can choose never to challenge. If no one challenges him, Lord Hengguang will simply receive a bye." "Of course, if you never challenge, you can remain an Invincible-tier champion indefinitely. But you still have to abide by the rules: King-tier experts below you can challenge you." Lu Changsheng understood. In truth, reaching the Invincible tier was already the final stop for many people. They could comfortably hold on to their status as Invincible-tier champions. As for challenging the Summit of the Universe, perhaps some harbored the grand ambition of becoming the new supreme champion, but most had no such thoughts. They preferred to wait for the reigning champion to advance to the Second Realm on his own, leaving the new champion to be chosen from among the Invincible tier. That offered much better odds of victory than directly challenging the reigning champion. Lu Changsheng knew Fang Chuan had his best interests at heart. Wait another hundred years to bypass Lord Hengguang, and with Lu Changsheng's strength, the likelihood of emerging victorious among the Invincible-tier champions to claim the title would be very high. However, Lu Changsheng was unwilling. He could weigh the pros and cons, but he would not deceive his own heart. Did he care about the title of 'Summit of the Universe'? Not in the slightest. What he cared about was his opponent! The stronger the opponent, the more thrilled Lu Changsheng became. Only by surpassing powerful opponents and ascending step by step to the summit of the universe could one truly claim the summit! Stepping over the old king to reach the peak was the only way to earn a title of true merit. "No, I don't want to miss Lord Hengguang!" "Please arrange it for me, Senior Brother Fang. I want to challenge Lord Hengguang!" Lu Changsheng spoke calmly, but his tone was resolute and unyielding! Fang Chuan looked at Lu Changsheng. He knew Lu Changsheng well. And precisely because he knew him, he could tell Lu Changsheng was serious. Once Lu Changsheng had made up his mind, any further persuasion was pointless. "Alright, I'll arrange it for you." "Once it's settled, there will be a full year of buildup." "You can use that year to prepare thoroughly," Fang Chuan advised. Lu Changsheng nodded, and Fang Chuan took his leave. Arranging the challenge against Lord Hengguang was actually quite simple. Under these circumstances, no other expert was competing with Lu Changsheng to challenge Lord Hengguang. Thus, Lu Changsheng had only one opponent: Lord Hengguang! When the news of Lu Changsheng challenging Lord Hengguang was announced, it immediately caused an uproar across the entire Summit of the Universe. "What? Someone is challenging Lord Hengguang?" "How is that possible?" "Why would anyone challenge Lord Hengguang?" "Lord Hengguang has held the 'Summit of the Universe' title for thirty-six consecutive terms—thirty-six hundred years! He already announced this would be his final defense. Who would dare challenge him now?" "Just who challenged Lord Hengguang?" "Apparently it's Lu Changsheng from Mount Feilong..." Countless people were astounded upon hearing the news. Lord Hengguang's deterrence was well known. In the first millennium, he had faced frequent challenges. But over the subsequent twenty-six hundred years, almost nobody had dared challenge him. Even when someone did, it had ended in defeat. Everyone had assumed that this time, Lord Hengguang would most likely receive another bye before moving on to attempt a breakthrough to the Second Realm, leaving the countless Invincible-tier experts to clash a century later to decide the new summit. Who could have imagined that someone would actually challenge Lord Hengguang at a time like this? Had he gone mad? Yet as people began looking into Lu Changsheng, their doubts vanished. Lu Changsheng's past actions at the Commander, Overlord, and King tiers were dug up. Only then did people realize that Lu Changsheng might truly be a "madman." Only he would dare challenge Lord Hengguang at this juncture. Yet Lu Changsheng's madness had previously been confined to the King and Overlord arenas. Once he became an Invincible-tier champion, he had seemed to abandon the madness, acting rationally and cautiously. Why was he suddenly challenging Lord Hengguang now? Did he have some trump card that made him believe he could defeat Lord Hengguang? At this moment, the most surprised person was none other than Lord Hengguang himself. Lord Hengguang was in his cave dwelling when someone arrived to deliver the news. "Hengguang, someone is challenging you." "Who is it?" "Lu Changsheng of Mount Feilong. Here is the information on him..." Lord Hengguang's friend handed over the details. Lord Hengguang flipped through the information on Lu Changsheng. "Interesting." "For a World Master to come this far is no easy feat." "But choosing to challenge me is certainly a mistake. Even if he is a World Master and won't truly die in the Great Universe, a defeat will cloud his heart and mind. Reaching the Second Realm later won't be so easy." Lord Hengguang shook his head. He was not arrogant; he still studied his opponents every single time. However, he did not believe Lu Changsheng could rival him. No matter how much the outside world hyped Lu Changsheng's talent, for a World Master to claim the Summit of the Universe title? From ancient times to the present—throughout the countless years the Summit of the Universe had existed—not a single World Master had ever claimed that title. Not to mention that Lu Changsheng's opponent was Lord Hengguang himself. Lord Hengguang considered himself near the very pinnacle among all the champions who had ever held the Summit of the Universe title across history! If Lu Changsheng wanted to step on his name to reach the top, he had miscalculated. "Hengguang, this is your final defense. You mustn't take it lightly." "In truth, you could have attempted the breakthrough to the Second Realm last time. Why delay until now?" His friend felt it was a pity. "Are you worried I might lose?" Lord Hengguang shook his head. He knew his friend was concerned for him, looking out for his well-being. However, if he could lose, he wouldn't have made it to where he was today. Without an invincible heart, how could one smoothly break through to the Second Realm? Lord Hengguang did not want to rely on luck when breaking through. Last time, his chances had only been sixty percent. But if he defended his title successfully this time, he was confident that his odds would rise as high as seventy percent! The stronger the opponent, the more his potential would be stimulated, and the more colossal the fortune he would gain. That would bring immense benefits to his breakthrough. Hence, Lord Hengguang was not worried about Lu Changsheng in the slightest. On the contrary, he was delighted. If someone had challenged him every time instead of him receiving byes over and over, he would have advanced to the Second Realm long ago rather than having to wait until now. "Rest assured, I will not lose! I am Lord Hengguang, reigning champion at the Summit of the Universe for thirty-six hundred years. Beneath the Second Realm, I am invincible!" Confidence rang clear in Lord Hengguang's voice. "It's good that you are confident. Still, I will gather information on Lu Changsheng for you. There is still a year left, plenty of time to prepare thoroughly." And so, Lord Hengguang's friend left the cave dwelling to gather intelligence on Lu Changsheng. Day after day slipped by. With the promotional buildup for the Summit of the Universe, the entire Great Universe was stirred up. Lu Changsheng's challenge against Lord Hengguang was hailed as the most watched battle in three millennia! Even before the battle commenced, Lu Changsheng could feel vast amounts of fortune gathering, flowing into his body in an endless stream. To receive this much fortune merely from the buildup—if Lu Changsheng actually defeated Lord Hengguang, what a terrifying harvest of fortune would await him? It was simply unimaginable! In the blink of an eye, a year passed. Lu Changsheng opened his eyes. "The time has come..." Lu Changsheng rose and exited his cave dwelling. His mind was as calm as an ancient well. Accompanied by Fang Chuan and Lin Qingluan, he headed straight for the arena at the Summit of the Universe!