"I intend to travel to Mingluo Universe. Senior Brother Zhao Yi, will you remain in Moke Universe, or come with me?" Lu Changsheng asked slowly.
He asked for Zhao Yi's opinion because Zhao Yi had brought it up before.
Zhao Yi wanted to visit other universes as well.
He had even asked Lu Changsheng to take him along if he ever went.
Staying by Lu Changsheng's side obviously offered immense benefits.
However, Mingluo Universe was different.
It was exceptionally dangerous.
Order had completely collapsed there, and anything could happen.
Bringing Zhao Yi along meant that even Lu Changsheng could not guarantee his safety.
Therefore, he had to consult Zhao Yi.
Sure enough, Zhao Yi weighed his options.
Yet he did not hesitate for long before making his choice.
"To Mingluo Universe!"
"I have stayed in Moke Universe for so long without finding an opportunity to comprehend immortal true intent. Going to Mingluo Universe might yield some gains."
"Besides, with Junior Brother Lu's strength, you rank at the very peak even in Mingluo Universe. I don't need to worry too much about safety. Even if we truly run into danger, it will merely be bad luck."
"Who dares guarantee zero danger when venturing into an alternate universe?"
Zhao Yi's words earned a quiet nod of approval from Lu Changsheng.
Zhao Yi truly understood propriety.
"Very well, then we shall go to Mingluo Universe together!"
Taking Zhao Yi along was actually somewhat advantageous to Lu Changsheng as well.
At the very least, leaving trivial matters to Zhao Yi would put his mind at ease.
Having reached an agreement, Lu Changsheng brought Zhao Yi before Sovereign Gaoyuan.
"Sovereign Gaoyuan, Senior Brother Zhao Yi and I are ready to set out for Mingluo Universe together," Lu Changsheng stated plainly.
"Very well."
Sovereign Gaoyuan nodded.
With a wave of his hand, a boom echoed.
A terrifying force directly displaced the two straight out of Moke Universe.
Afterward, they journeyed along the River of Spacetime for a long time until they arrived before a bank of mist steeped in an aura of decay, chaos, and desolation.
"This is the passage into Mingluo Universe."
"Remember: there is no order in Mingluo Universe now. Show no mercy when trouble arises. There are hardly any cultivators from the Great Universe inside."
Lu Changsheng nodded. "Thank you for your assistance, Sovereign Gaoyuan."
With that, he and Zhao Yi flew directly into the passage.
A hum resonated.
Upon stepping into the passage, Lu Changsheng felt waves of spatial warping.
Soon, he arrived in an unfamiliar cosmos.
"Hmm? This is Mingluo Universe?"
The moment Lu Changsheng crossed into Mingluo Universe, he immediately sensed that something was amiss.
He did not feel the slightest restraint.
Or rather, he felt no suppression whatsoever.
Normally, when a cosmic mighty figure entered an alternate universe, they would inevitably suffer suppression from that cosmos.
Even if the suppression was slight, it still existed.
In particularly formidable alternate universes, the suppression from the universal rules alone could halve a cosmic mighty figure's strength.
Of course, such powerful alternate universes were extremely rare and hard to find.
Back in Moke Universe, Lu Changsheng's strength had been somewhat suppressed upon entering.
Yet here he was in Mingluo Universe, completely devoid of any suppressive force.
In other words, Mingluo Universe lacked even rule suppression.
This was not normal.
"A universe on the brink of collapse has lost even the power to suppress foreign cultivators. It seems this cosmos is in far worse shape than our intelligence suggested..." Zhao Yi said solemnly.
This was no good sign.
Lu Changsheng had come to Mingluo Universe to devour plane ruins.
If the universe collapsed too quickly, those plane ruins would vanish, reduced to ashes.
Thus, Lu Changsheng had to race against time to devour planes as swiftly as possible.
Otherwise, he would miss his chance.
"We must search for plane ruins immediately!" Lu Changsheng said.
Zhao Yi shook his head. "Be that as it may, this is still a universe. A vast cosmos is boundless. How long would it take if we search blindly on our own? It would be better to find some cultivators to question."
Lu Changsheng gave a noncommittal response.
Ask cultivators?
That was one way.
Yet there were no cultivators nearby; where would they even look?
Besides, while an immense cosmos posed a problem for others, was it truly a problem for Lu Changsheng?
Lu Changsheng possessed a unique trick of his own.
He could undergo dimension ascension.
However, Mingluo Universe was somewhat peculiar.
Lu Changsheng could not guarantee whether dimension ascension would succeed here.
"Let's test it first."
Lu Changsheng immediately prepared to make an attempt.
Zhao Yi was utterly puzzled.
Watching Lu Changsheng make preparations without knowing what he was preparing for, Zhao Yi was completely at a loss.
"Senior Brother Zhao Yi, do you know of the Boundary Sea?"
"Of course I do. The Boundary Sea is the unique domain of Realm Lords."
"I intend to try recreating a small boundary sea here in Mingluo Universe."
"Recreate a small boundary sea?"
Zhao Yi's eyes went wide, filled with disbelief.
Lu Changsheng did not know how to explain it.
So he simply refrained from further explanation.
Once he succeeded, Zhao Yi would understand naturally.
The reason he chose not to hide it from Zhao Yi now was that he needed an assistant in Mingluo Universe.
Furthermore, after their journey in Moke Universe, Zhao Yi had proven himself trustworthy.
"Dimension ascension!"
With a thought, the True Realm Plane of this incarnation began its dimension ascension.
Practice makes perfect.
Lu Changsheng had successfully ascended dimensions in both the Great Universe and Moke Universe. He was experienced and thoroughly proficient at it.
Only the peculiarities of Mingluo Universe kept him from being entirely certain.
In any ordinary universe, it would present no issue at all.
A hum resonated.
Lu Changsheng's True Realm Plane truly began to ascend.
Taking Zhao Yi along with it, the plane rose continuously.
Before long, the True Realm Plane reached a certain height and came to a halt.
Terrifying tempests faintly raged in the void here.
Cracks had even fractured across empty space.
The environment appeared exceptionally harsh.
Even so, Lu Changsheng was delighted.
It was a success.
Just like in Moke Universe, his True Realm Plane had successfully ascended in dimension once more.
After achieving dimension ascension, no cultivator beneath a Third Realm Sovereign could do anything to him.
Of course, that was not the crux of the matter.
The crux was that following dimension ascension, Lu Changsheng's True Realm Plane effectively became a small boundary sea.
He could reach any corner of Mingluo Universe in an instant.
Witnessing this, Zhao Yi experienced a sudden flash of insight.
"Is this a small boundary sea?"
"The principle is identical—reaching every corner of the universe via a boundary sea. Truly... unbelievable! Simply astounding!"
Zhao Yi was deeply shaken.
He had never imagined Lu Changsheng possessed such an ability.
Yet thinking back, in Moke Universe Lu Changsheng had flown alongside him through arduous toil.
In truth, that had likely just been a test for him.
In Moke Universe, Lu Changsheng certainly had a small boundary sea as well.
There had been no need to fly at a crawl.
At the time, the timing had not been right, so Lu Changsheng naturally kept a card up his sleeve.
Now that Lu Changsheng no longer concealed it from him, it was a display of trust.
With a sweep of his True Realm Plane, Lu Changsheng pulled Zhao Yi into it.
He then began surveying the situation across Mingluo Universe.
Through the perspective of the small boundary sea, Lu Changsheng could view the entire Mingluo Universe.
Still, he could only grasp the general lay of the land.
He remained unsure of where plane ruins lay in precise detail.
Yet that did not matter.
Lu Changsheng only needed to locate cultivators.
"Violent ripples of battle are coming from that direction..."
With a stir of his mind, ninety-nine percent of his True Realm Plane's volume descended toward the detected location in an instant.
A boom erupted.
The True Realm Plane descended.
Crossing an unfathomable distance in a heartbeat, it materialized over a region of the void.
"What's going on?"
"Who has arrived?"
"Which mighty figure is this?"
"We fought with our lives on the line for this piece of immortal substance; we won't let another reap the fruits of our labor!"
More than a dozen cosmic mighty figures were scattered across this stretch of the void.
All came from different planes.
Naturally, their spoken languages differed.
Yet they had no trouble communicating, as they exchanged thoughts directly via consciousness.
They understood one another in an instant.
They had originally been fighting over a piece of immortal substance.
It was not particularly large, yet in Mingluo Universe, it was already a rare treasure.
Unexpectedly, an unfamiliar cosmic mighty figure had suddenly barged in.
Judging by the manner of this arrival, the newcomer was certainly no ordinary cosmic mighty figure.
"Get lost!"
None of these cosmic mighty figures were pushovers.
After all, who among the mighty figures still lingering in Mingluo Universe at a time like this could possibly be weak?
Seeing an unfamiliar cosmic mighty figure descend, each unleashed their respective techniques in an attempt to blast the interloper apart.
Unfortunately for them, what they faced was the True Realm Plane.
A tremendous boom resounded.
The True Realm Plane descended with sweeping grandeur. Even with over a dozen cosmic mighty figures striking together, they could not halt Lu Changsheng's True Realm Plane.
All of them were engulfed by the True Realm Plane and pulled directly inside.
"What? We're trapped?"
"What kind of technique is this?"
"It seems to be a world."
"A world? What kind of world can withstand over a dozen cosmic mighty figures at once?"
For a moment, all the cosmic mighty figures were astonished.
They had been swept into a world by an unfamiliar cosmic mighty figure.
Moreover, when they tested their power just now, they felt an immense suppression bearing down on them.
"Suppress."
A cold, indifferent voice rang out.
As the words fell, a horrifying force instantly immobilized all dozen-plus cosmic mighty figures.
Within the True Realm Plane, especially one with more than a hundred and fifty times its base volume, the sheer force unleashed was utterly terrifying.
What were a mere dozen cosmic mighty figures before such power?
In a single instant, all of them were suppressed.
They could not even speak.
A flash appeared.
Lu Changsheng condensed an incarnation and manifested before them.
"Speak. What were you fighting over here?" Lu Changsheng asked.
The dozen-plus cosmic mighty figures exchanged glances, but none dared speak.
Lu Changsheng could not be bothered to waste words.
He waved his hand.
Bang!
One of the cosmic mighty figures exploded entirely.
His formidable physical body instantly disintegrated into fine powder.
Even his aura vanished without a trace.
Witnessing this, the pupils of the remaining cosmic mighty figures contracted sharply, their hearts trembling in horror.
Dead!
That cosmic mighty figure was actually dead?
Furthermore, not a shred of his aura remained.
This was absolute annihilation.
How could this unfamiliar cosmic mighty figure be so terrifyingly powerful?
Killing a cosmic mighty figure with a casual wave of his hand was simply unfathomable!
One had to realize that they were all cosmic mighty figures. Even for a top-tier cosmic mighty figure, wiping out a peer with a mere wave of the hand was practically impossible.
Moreover, while the slain figure had not been a top-tier cosmic mighty figure, he had still ranked among the finest of their tier.
Yet he had died just like that.
He had perished without even knowing who had struck him down.
"You speak. What were you fighting over here?" Lu Changsheng pointed at another cosmic mighty figure and asked.
That cosmic mighty figure found his voice restored.
Having witnessed the fate of the previous figure, how could he dare stay silent?
He answered directly, "We were fighting over a piece of immortal substance here."
"Immortal substance?"
Lu Changsheng's interest was piqued.
Following the direction the figure indicated, Lu Changsheng indeed sensed immortal substance.
After all, this entire region was now blanketed by the True Realm Plane.
Since it was effectively inside the True Realm Plane, Lu Changsheng could locate anything with ease.
Reaching out his hand, Lu Changsheng drew upon the power of the True Realm Plane.
A hum vibrated.
A piece of immortal substance materialized in his palm.
This piece was exceedingly pure, showing no signs of having been refined.
It was indeed genuine immortal substance, and a remarkably large piece at that.
It was larger than all the immortal substance Lu Changsheng had previously acquired combined.
It looked roughly the size of a millstone.
This was the first time Lu Changsheng had ever seen such a massive chunk of immortal substance.
No wonder it had provoked a battle among so many cosmic mighty figures.
Yet after all their fighting, such a massive piece of immortal substance had ended up in Lu Changsheng's hands.
Lu Changsheng stowed the immortal substance away directly.
This could be considered an unexpected delight.
To think he would obtain such a large piece of immortal substance immediately upon arriving in Mingluo Universe.
His fortune was quite good.
Having obtained the immortal substance, Lu Changsheng was in a pleasant mood, so he asked directly, "Do you know where a large number of desolate planes can be found?"
"Whoever speaks up shall be spared by this Lu."
Hearing Lu Changsheng's words, the cosmic mighty figures were all swayed.
At this point, the remaining figures realized they were all able to speak again.
One of the cosmic mighty figures spoke up: "If you speak of desolate planes, they can be found everywhere throughout Mingluo Universe. But the place with the greatest concentration of them should be the Mingluo Battlefield."
"Indeed. The Mingluo Battlefield was once the battleground where Sovereigns clashed, shattering countless planes. The planes there are beyond reckoning, and nearly all are desolate planes, though most are severely fragmented."
"There is also the vicinity of Tianmen City. It was once the foremost power in Mingluo Universe, having relocated over a hundred planes in an incredible feat, but it too was obliterated and reduced to ruin during the great battle of the Sovereigns."
"I know that the Moluo Airspace also holds numerous desolate planes..."
One by one, the cosmic mighty figures spoke up, naming multiple places that seemed to harbor desolate planes.
Lu Changsheng listened with immense satisfaction.
It seemed coming to Mingluo Universe had indeed been the right decision.
Right upon arrival, there were so many desolate planes to be found.
If he could smoothly devour these planes, his True Realm Plane's volume would surely experience an explosive surge!
"Fellow Daoist, what about us...?"
The dozen or so cosmic mighty figures watched Lu Changsheng with utter caution.
In the past, each had been proud and domineering.
In their home universes, they were illustrious names.
Even after coming to Mingluo Universe, none yielded to anyone else.
Yet things were different now.
Lu Changsheng was simply too domineering.
Before Lu Changsheng, they were nothing.
"You..."
Lu Changsheng shook his head.
These people had been cooperative, each revealing locations of desolate planes.
Thus, Lu Changsheng had no intention of doing anything to them.
He had come to devour desolate planes, not to slaughter people.
"You have been cooperative. You may leave."
With a wave of his hand, Lu Changsheng sent them directly out of the True Realm Plane.
A flash flickered.
The group of a dozen-plus cosmic mighty figures appeared outside the True Realm Plane.
Looking back at the distant plane, they exchanged stunned glances.
"Just what is this person's background? He is too terrifying. Even half-step Sovereigns wouldn't possess such dread power, would they?"
"Though half-step Sovereigns boast formidable combat strength, their path of cultivation is already severed. But this person is different. He is not a half-step Sovereign; he is a top-tier cosmic mighty figure. It's just that his strength is far too immense—even greater than a half-step Sovereign's."
"Mingluo Universe truly sees all races contending; any kind of person might appear."
"Forget it. That piece of immortal substance was never something we could meddle with..."
With that, the dozen-plus cosmic mighty figures departed one after another.
In fact, they increasingly felt that Mingluo Universe had grown far too dangerous.
A powerhouse capable of killing them in an instant had appeared.
Not only did they need to keep their distance, but some even decided to simply leave Mingluo Universe altogether.
Meanwhile, inside the True Realm Plane.
Zhao Yi asked, "Junior Brother Lu, where are we heading now?"
Seeing Lu Changsheng effortlessly suppress over a dozen cosmic mighty figures—including several top-tier figures—Zhao Yi no longer felt surprised in the least.
"Those mighty figures mentioned many places, but all agreed that the Mingluo Battlefield holds the most planes. Let us go to the Mingluo Battlefield first to take a look."
"Very well."
Zhao Yi nodded.
In truth, Lu Changsheng had another consideration in choosing the Mingluo Battlefield first.
He did not know when Mingluo Universe would collapse entirely.
Thus, he had to seize every moment and opportunity to devour planes as swiftly as possible, augmenting the volume of his True Realm.
The Mingluo Battlefield suited his needs perfectly.
The cosmic mighty figures had already provided Lu Changsheng with the coordinates to the Mingluo Battlefield.
Therefore, Lu Changsheng could immediately travel there via the small boundary sea of his True Realm.
Before long, Lu Changsheng arrived at the Mingluo Battlefield.
The Mingluo Battlefield was indeed vast, and it truly held a massive quantity of plane ruins.
However, it was also exceedingly perilous.
Within the Mingluo Battlefield, Lu Changsheng frequently encountered the power of decomposition.
This was the lingering power of Third Realm Sovereigns.
The power of decomposition was exceptionally troublesome.
It could break down anything and any force other than immortal substance; once tainted by it, handling it became a massive ordeal.
Even Lu Changsheng relied on the vast volume of his True Realm Plane to grind down and expend the power of decomposition.
Beyond the power of decomposition, Lu Changsheng also detected spatial storms, which posed an additional hazard.
No wonder there were hardly any cosmic mighty figures in the Mingluo Battlefield.
With such a harsh environment and no treasures to be found, who would bother coming here?
For Lu Changsheng, however, this meant he could devour to his heart's content.
In fact, Lu Changsheng had a novel idea.
His True Realm Plane currently possessed a volume 155 times its base.
Such a volume was colossal.
With a volume this massive, why should he bother devouring planes one by one?
He could directly unfurl his 155-fold True Realm and swallow the plane ruins all at once.
He would devour as many as he could take in.
Devouring on one hand while refining on the other would drastically increase his efficiency.
"The usual arrangement: I will stand guard outside the True Realm for you, Junior Brother Lu."
With that, Zhao Yi voluntarily distanced himself from the True Realm.
Lu Changsheng nodded.
With Zhao Yi keeping watch, he would immediately learn of any developments.
Without hesitation, Lu Changsheng began to expand his True Realm Plane.
A boom echoed.
The full 155-fold volume of the True Realm Plane unfolded completely, directly blanketing the Mingluo Battlefield.
Naturally, the Mingluo Battlefield was far too immense.
Even though Lu Changsheng's True Realm Plane was gargantuan, it could not cover it in its entirety.
Covering a portion of it, however, posed no problem at all.
Lu Changsheng then began frantically devouring the plane ruins of the Mingluo Battlefield.
The spatial storms and the residual power of decomposition left behind by Third Realm Sovereigns presented no obstacle to him.
As for the power of decomposition, at worst it simply consumed some of his energy.
His True Realm Plane possessed a colossal volume and did not fear such slight depletion.
Even though it was the power of Third Realm Sovereigns, it was merely residual force now, akin to rootless duckweed.
Once expended, it would diminish,
eventually being erased entirely into nothingness by Lu Changsheng's True Realm Plane.
At most, it would erode a fraction of the True Realm Plane.
Yet to Lu Changsheng, this caused no true loss of energy; he could still recover it steadily.
Besides, with so many plane ruins available, why worry about being unable to recover?
Under these circumstances, Lu Changsheng devoured the plane ruins with complete abandon.
Meanwhile, the volume of his True Realm Plane swelled visibly at a rapid pace.
Although cosmic mighty figures were scarce in the Mingluo Battlefield, they were not entirely absent.
Such a massive disturbance naturally drew the attention of some cosmic mighty figures.
The fact that the True Realm Plane had blanketed a portion of the Mingluo Battlefield was particularly staggering.
"What is happening?"
"A section of the Mingluo Battlefield seems to have been covered; one cannot even enter from the outside."
"Is that... a world? Where did another world come from, blanketing part of the Mingluo plane?"
"Wait, this world seems to have a master! It possesses a distinct aura—this is a cosmic mighty figure!"
"What? A cosmic mighty figure suddenly covering such an enormous area? Which cosmic mighty figure is this?"
"Unclear. Sensing this aura, I have no recollection of it. Could it be a mighty figure who has just arrived in Mingluo Universe?"
"With such a formidable aura, even a half-step Sovereign would be nothing more than this."
"Speaking of the Mingluo Battlefield, isn't Demon Venerable Resentment cultivating within it? Could a conflict break out with Demon Venerable Resentment?"
"Demon Venerable Resentment... that is a half-step Sovereign. Though his hope of reaching the Third Realm in this life is extinguished, he refuses to resign himself to that fate and still roams the most dangerous places across the universes. The Mingluo Battlefield harbors lingering Third Realm power, so Demon Venerable Resentment relies on that residual power of decomposition to comprehend the might of the Third Realm, hoping to break through and rebuild his Dao path."
"Demon Venerable Resentment has an explosive temper. Now that this unfamiliar mighty figure has directly covered such a massive region, Demon Venerable Resentment surely won't stand for it..."
For a time, the cosmic mighty figures spoke with a hint of schadenfreude in their tone.
They seemed quite eager to see a clash between Demon Venerable Resentment and Lu Changsheng.
After all, they had all suffered at Demon Venerable Resentment's hands before.
They dared not harbor open hatred or resentment toward Demon Venerable Resentment, yet they hoped he would kick an iron plate.
The way Lu Changsheng covered such a vast swath of the Mingluo Battlefield made it clear at a glance that he was not to be trifled with.
If Demon Venerable Resentment truly clashed with him, the outcome would be difficult to predict.
And that was precisely the result they rejoiced to see.
Chapter 530