Chapter 201.2: Lu Changsheng Stands at the Top of the Dao Foundation Realm, Shaking the Ancient Region; Eight Principles Pushed to Perfection (II)
Xia Chenfeng and Zhao Yujian had returned to the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect ahead of Lu Changsheng. The moment they were back, both went straight into seclusion to contemplate their Principle Divine Stones.
When they eventually emerged from seclusion, the first thing they found was a message from Wang Yun.
"Wang Yun?"
The two of them thought it over. Their gains from the trip had been considerable, and they owed no small part of that to Wang Yun for having brought Lu Changsheng along. They made their way to her cave residence, arriving at nearly the same time.
"Fellow Daoist Wang, seems like it's urgent. What is it?" Xia Chenfeng asked.
Wang Yun looked at them both, her expression grave. She chose her words carefully.
"I need to hear it from you both. Are the rumors true?"
"What rumors?" The two exchanged a puzzled look. Having been in seclusion all this time, they were naturally unaware of any rumors.
Wang Yun quickly realized that as well, so she took a deep breath and proceeded to explain.
"I suppose you've yet to hear the news coming from the Heavenly Shackle Mountain Range. They're saying that Lu Changsheng of the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect single-handedly blockaded the secret realm's exit, killing Dao Lord Dongyang, Dao Lord Shou Xu, and a number of other supreme experts, while also defeating supreme Dao Foundation cultivators like Su Tianwen and Zhang Tianyi.
"Supposedly, Lu Changsheng stripped them of countless treasures, Principle Divine Stones included. Since you both entered the secret realm with Fellow Daoist Lu, I have to ask if any of this is true. I find it hard to believe he could be that powerful..."
Her words hit Xia Chenfeng and Zhao Yujian like a wave. They already knew Lu Changsheng had defeated Dao Lord Qing Xuan, but blocking the exit of the secret realm sounded almost absurd. The kind of audacity needed to pull a move like that was unbelievable.
Audacity was one thing, but just how powerful did one have to be in order to single-handedly hold the exit and strip every supreme expert of their valuables? Only someone unstoppable, capable of crushing all opposition without exception could pull off something like that.
Dao Lord Dongyang and Dao Lord Shou Xu were the most powerful Dao Lords in the entire third layer of the Ancient Region. Who in that entire region could claim to have a reliable chance of defeating either of them, let alone killing them?
And Su Tianwen and Zhang Tianyi were supreme Dao Foundation cultivators, far stronger than either Xia Chenfeng or Zhao Yujian. And yet, people were claiming that such formidable figures had been forced to hand over their treasures in order to walk away with their lives from the Heavenly Shackle Mountain Range.
"F-Fellow Daoist Lu really did all that?"
Xia Chenfeng and Zhao Yujian looked at each other, both at a loss for words. They had known Lu Changsheng was strong, as anyone who could defeat Dao Lord Qing Xuan had to be, but these rumors about what he had done in the mountains far exceeded anything they could have imagined.
"Fellow Daoist Wang Yun, how reliable are these rumors?" Xia Chenfeng asked.
"Very much so. The news has already not just through our sect, but through the entire third layer of the Ancient Region. The key thing is that there were many Dao Foundation cultivators and Dao Lords at the Heavenly Shackle Mountain Range who witnessed it firsthand. And Su Tianwen and Zhang Tianyi haven't said a word to deny any of it. Doesn't that tell you something?"
That settled it for Xia Chenfeng and Zhao Yujian. The rumors had to be true. They were almost in shock, thinking that Lu Changsheng had pulled off something like that after parting ways with him.
Since Wang Yun had already asked, and the news had spread everywhere anyway, the two saw no reason to hold anything back.
"We returned to the encampment ahead of Lu Changsheng, so we have no knowledge of what he did afterward at the Heavenly Shackle Mountain Range. What we can tell you is that inside the secret realm, Daoist Lu defeated Dao Lord Qing Xuan and swept through one sacred ground after another, seizing many Principle Divine Stones.
"We ourselves each walked away with four Principle Divine Stones, far more than we had expected, and that was why we decided to leave the secret realm early and return to the camp," Xia Chengfeng explained.
"What? Four Principle Divine Stones each?" Wang Yun shot to her feet, her eyes widening with shock.
She had never imagined that Xia Chenfeng and Zhao Yujian, who had returned early of all people, could have obtained that many Principle Divine Stones.
Four Principle Divine Stones covered all four of the Principles each of them had been working on. If they continued cultivating, those four stones gave them a genuine chance of bringing every one of their Principles to Perfection, and with that, a real possibility of condensing a divine ability and breaking through to the Divine Ability Realm.
Countless Dao Foundation martial artists had spent their entire lives chasing the dream of the Divine Ability Realm. And now, Xia Chenfeng and Zhao Yujian actually had a chance to achieve that.
But that was it—a chance, nothing more. Perception still mattered. Even with Principle Divine Stones in hand, bringing every Principle to Perfection was no easy feat without sufficient Perception. And even with all Principles at Perfection, not everyone could condense a divine ability. The Ancient Region Heavenly Sect had gone several hundred years without producing a single new Divine Ability Realm cultivator. That alone showed how brutal the threshold was.
Regardless, even the slimmest hope already put Xia Chenfeng and Zhao Yujian ahead of countless other Dao Foundation martial artists, most of whom unable to see even the slightest glimmer of a path forward.
Wang Yun was one of those people. For her, the prospect of condensing a divine ability was nowhere in sight. It took her a few good seconds to collect herself.
"Unbelievable. But this is the fortune you two have earned."
She could not help feeling a twinge of regret that she had not gone to the secret realm herself. If she had managed to obtain even a few Principle Divine Stones, perhaps she, too, might have had a chance at condensing a divine ability.
Of course that was nothing more than just wishful thinking. Even if she had wanted to go, Xia Chenfeng and Zhao Yujian would never have agreed to it. The contest within the secret realm was far too dangerous. Without the strength of a supreme Dao Foundation cultivator, anyone who went in would only be a burden, and nobody would willingly take such a burden into a secret realm.
"Alright, thank you, Fellow Daoists."
With that, Wang Yun rose and walked them to the entrance of her cave residence. After they left, her gaze drifted in the direction of Lu Changsheng's cave residence, and a flicker of something unreadable crossed her eyes.
I really didn't expect Lu Changsheng to be so talented and so insanely powerful. There's a very real chance he could condense a divine ability and become yet another Divine Ability Realm grand elder of our Ancient Region Heavenly Sect!
In the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect, anyone who reached the Divine Ability Realm was granted the title of grand elder. Such figures could be counted on one hand, yet it was precisely those few grand elders who held the entire sect together!
In any case, the shock did not stop at the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect. The major Martial Dao sects and Immortal Dao factions were equally shaken by the news of what had happened in the Heavenly Shackle Mountain Range.
***
At the Yellow Heavenly Sect, situated on the outer reaches of the Ancient Region, Huang Jiufeng was seated in quiet meditation inside his cave residence.
"Hmm?"
Something stirred in his mind. He opened the entrance to his cave residence to find one of his disciples waiting outside.
"Master, there is news concerning Lu Changsheng of the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect," the disciple reported with a bow.
"Finally. Speak." Huang Jiufeng raised an eyebrow, clearly eager to hear the details.
Ever since Xu Haotian had died at Lu Changsheng's hands, Huang Jiufeng had carried a deep grudge against him and had kept a close watch on his every move.
But after Lu Changsheng became a Dao Foundation expert, Huang Jiufeng had found himself completely without recourse. He had not even comprehended a single Principle, so what did he have to fight Lu Changsheng with?
Even so, he had not stopped scheming. He still had Heavenly Demon Essence Blood in his possession, accumulated over many years through careful exchanges of precious resources. He had been waiting for the right opportunity.
Once the moment came, Huang Jiufeng had no reservations about using the Heavenly Demon Essence Blood to recruit Dao Foundation experts and send them after Lu Changsheng.
"Master, Lu Changsheng..." The disciple hesitated, his expression strange, as though he couldn't quite get the words out.
"Go on. What happened to Lu Changsheng?" Huang Jiufeng pressed, his voice low and firm.
The disciple steeled himself and said, "At the Heavenly Shackle Mountain Range in the third layer of the Ancient Region, Lu Changsheng single-handedly crushed hundreds of supreme Dao Foundation cultivators and Dao Lords. He searched them one by one and seized countless treasures.
"Supreme Dao Lords such as Dao Lord Dongyang and Dao Lord Shou Xu both fought him and died at his hands. Supreme Dao Foundation cultivators Su Tianwen and Zhang Tianyi were defeated and had no choice but to hand over their valuables in order to walk away alive.
"Lu Changsheng is now effectively invincible at the Dao Foundation Realm, just as he was during his time at the Divine Treasury Realm. Invincible at the Divine Treasury Realm, invincible at the Dao Foundation Realm. He has come to dominate an entire generation across both the Immortal Dao and the Martial Dao. The Divine Ability Realm may be within his reach..."
As the disciple's words faded, a thunderous roar seemed to go off inside Huang Jiufeng's head. The world spun around him.
"What are you saying...? Impossible! Lu Changsheng has only forged his Dao Foundation for just over a year. How could he already be invincible at the Dao Foundation Realm? This is simply absurd. What kind of rubbish are you telling me?"
Huang Jiufeng stared fixedly at his disciple, but the disciple only lowered his head, saying nothing more. And that silence confirmed what Huang Jiufeng dreaded.
It was true. Lu Changsheng had really become invincible at the Dao Foundation Realm, and Huang Jiufeng had managed to make an enemy out of him.
Despite his young age, Lu Changsheng stood at the very peak of the Dao Foundation Realm, and the Divine Ability Realm was within his reach. There was a good chance that Lu Changsheng would become yet another Divine Ability Realm grand elder of the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect.
Thud!
Huang Jiufeng collapsed back into his chair.
"Master, what do we do now?" The disciple couldn't hold back the question. He was frightened too. After all, because of Xu Haotian, Huang Jiufeng had made an enemy of Lu Changsheng, and by now the rift between them had gone far beyond the point of reconciliation.
Even though it was very unlikely that Lu Changsheng would act personally against someone still at the Divine Treasury Realm, he could just say the word and countless Divine Treasury martial artists would line up to deal with Huang Jiufeng on his behalf, regardless of the fact that he was a disciple of the Yellow Heavenly Sect.
"What are you so scared of?! Huang Jiufeng reprimanded the disciple.
A cold gleam flickered in his eyes as he spoke in a low voice, "Lu Changsheng's position is unassailable now. There is nothing we can do against him. But he still hasn't condensed a divine ability. He hasn't become a Divine Ability Realm grand elder yet. I am an elder of the Yellow Heavenly Sect, so what can he actually do to me? I'll spend the rest of my life within the Yellow Heavenly Sect and never step outside. As long as I stay here, Lu Changsheng can't touch me! Now go."
Huang Jiufeng waved a hand, and the disciple withdrew from the cave residence with a respectful bow. He had faked composure before his disciple, but deep inside, a storm was raging.
I'm nothing but a Dao Foundation martial artist who hasn't even comprehended a single Principle. I'm beneath Lu Changsheng's notice. He may not even remember who I am. His position is already beyond challenge. The only thing I can do now is endure...
And endure he would. He had already resigned himself to the possibility of never leaving the Yellow Heavenly Sect for the rest of his life. It was a bleak thought, hiding in the sect and never stepping out, but the prospect of death was even bleaker. Huang Jiufeng simply could not afford to provoke Lu Changsheng any further.
Meanwhile, the name of Lu Changsheng had already spread across the entirety of the Ancient Region, reaching not just the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect and the Yellow Heavenly Sect, but every major Immortal Dao faction as well.
Lu Changsheng himself, however, was unaware of any of it. He remained shut away in his cave residence, his mind wholly absorbed in contemplating his Principles.
On the fifty-first day, a low hum resonated through his Mind Space as two streams of light stirred within it. The Metal Principle and the Water Principle had both reached Perfection. Two lines of text materialized before his eyes.
[Metal Principle reaches Perfection. Perception increases by 3,000 points.]
[Water Principle reaches Perfection. Perception increases by 3,000 points.]
Lu Changsheng made no reaction; he did not even open his eyes. He simply continued contemplating his remaining Principles.
Time passed quietly.
After a little over three months, on the ninety-ninth day, a deep rumble shook through his Mind Space, and two more streams of light trembled and blazed within it. Two more lines of text appeared before him.
[Earth Principle reaches Perfection. Perception increases by 3,000 points.]
[Land Principle reaches Perfection. Perception increases by 3,000 points.]
At last, Lu Changsheng opened his eyes.
He had finally pushed all eight Principles within his Mind Space to Perfection.
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