In a desolate mountain wilderness, Xiao Xiangdao staggered forward, blood dripping from his arm, his steps faltering.
Ever since Lu Changsheng and the Everlasting Immortal of Changliu issued the bounty, countless experts from the Immortal Realm joined in the pursuit of Xiao Xiangdao, plunging him into peril after peril.
Lu Changsheng had underestimated the allure of the twenty-first rank Divine Pill to those in the Divine King Realm—especially three such pills.
“Lu Changsheng, Lin Qingzhi, you’ve caused me to be hunted down! I won’t let you off!”
Hatred burned in Xiao Xiangdao’s eyes.
If not for Lu Changsheng presenting three twenty-first rank Divine Pills, there wouldn’t be so many pursuers in the Immortal Realm pressing him into such desperate straits.
“For now, I can only escape to the main altar of the Blood Sea Palace, and lie low for a while. Even a Yama-level assassin, if they stray into the main altar, would find no path but death.”
Xiao Xiangdao pulled out a talisman from his chest, muttering an incantation under his breath, and vanished on the spot.
At Yuntai Peak, Lu Changsheng was unaware that his bounty had nearly resulted in Xiao Xiangdao’s demise.
At this moment, he was undergoing Body Tempering, aiming to break through to the tenth layer of the Eternal Indestructible Art.
Lu Changsheng’s body was nearly torn apart, then reassembled, becoming even more formidable.
The medicinal power within the pool continuously surged into Lu Changsheng’s body, accelerating the recomposition of his flesh and strengthening every cell.
Rumble… rumble…
Yuntai Peak trembled violently, an overwhelming pressure spreading out from Lu Changsheng as its center.
His sheer physical form alone radiated an incomparable might.
Achieving Great Perfection in the Eternal Indestructible Art, Lu Changsheng’s body rivaled a Second Grade Dao Artifact.
Aside from a few rare Dao Artifacts, the vast majority were incapable of killing Lu Changsheng, for his body itself had become akin to a powerful Dao Artifact.
“Finally, Great Perfection. I can begin training in the Heaven Overbearing Body Art.”
Lu Changsheng exhaled deeply, his breath as swift as the wind.
Clenching his fists, he seemed to grasp an immense and boundless power within his grip.
If he refrained from using Taoist Laws and only relied on the strength of his physical body, Lu Changsheng was confident he could battle Lin Beichen barehanded.
The Heaven Overbearing Body Art was a divine-level first-rank Body Tempering Technique, far more domineering than the Eternal Indestructible Art. It was said to have been created in ancient times by a powerful cultivator with the unique Heaven Overbearing Body constitution.
If mastered to Great Perfection, the Heaven Overbearing Body Art could even rival Great Experts.
This was why the Heaven Overbearing Body Art was regarded as a divine-level first-rank Body Tempering Technique.
Those who cultivated this technique must possess unstoppable determination, daring to strike even against opponents of higher realms, and crushing them without hesitation.
“The Heaven Overbearing Body Art requires far more Body Tempering materials than the Eternal Indestructible Art. To cultivate it to Great Perfection will be arduous, but it is unquestionably worth the effort…”
The creator of the Heaven Overbearing Body Art believed that mastering it would enable one’s physical body to rival that of eternal, undying Great Experts. While Lu Changsheng found this claim a bit exaggerated, he acknowledged it was not entirely without merit.
At the very least, his physical body would approach the level of fledgling Great Experts.
To reach the Divine King Realm and match Great Experts would be a monumental advantage.
“Master, I’ve returned from the Nether Sea.”
Huo Wen had returned to Lu Changsheng’s sect and greeted him respectfully.
“If there’s nothing urgent, focus on your own cultivation.”
Lu Changsheng understood that his disciples typically paid their respects upon returning to the sect, letting their master know they were back.
After hesitating for a moment, Huo Wen decided to inform Lu Changsheng about the happenings within the Candle Dragon Clan: “Someone has destroyed the seal on our Candle Dragon Clan’s ancestor. The Great Elder predicts that in a million years, the ancestor will break free from the Taiyin Goddess’ seal. My father and I worry that the ancestor’s hatred toward the Taiyin Goddess may lead him to launch a massive assault on the Human Race, unleashing chaos that could sweep through our entire Candle Dragon Clan. Our clan’s strength has already waned significantly, and with the ancestor bound under the Taiyin Goddess’ seal for so long, his cultivation might have regressed. This poses a grave existential threat to our Candle Dragon Clan…”
“The situation you’ve described is indeed troublesome.”
Upon hearing that the formation sealing the Candle Dragon ancestor was disintegrating, Lu Changsheng maintained a composed exterior, though inwardly he was alarmed.
The body of the Taiyin Goddess was in Lu Changsheng’s possession.
If the Candle Dragon emerged seeking vengeance, Lu Changsheng would be no match for it.
At present, the Mount Taihua Sacred Land itself likely had no one who could contend with the Candle Dragon.
It was said that the Taiyin Goddess’ power even exceeded that of the Mount Taihua Goddess.
The Mount Taihua Goddess had critically wounded the World-Ending Black Dragon, whereas the Taiyin Goddess was even more formidable, having employed eighteen layers of ancient formations to seal the Candle Dragon within Zhong Mountain, leaving it trapped for eons.
If not for the erosion of time, the loosening of the seal, and external sabotage, it might have taken another billion years for the Candle Dragon to escape.
Currently, the strongest cultivator within the Mount Taihua Sacred Land was Lin Shiyu, but Lin Shiyu’s power did not surpass that of her elder sister.
If the Candle Dragon came seeking revenge, the Mount Taihua Sacred Land’s only hope would lie in the Mountain Protection Array of Mount Taihua.
“You need not worry too excessively. The Immortal Realm is teeming with powerful cultivators, some of whom are ancient beings no less formidable than the Taiyin Goddess who sealed your ancestor. I suspect that even if the Candle Dragon escapes, weighing the balance of power, it would avoid courting destruction. He will understand this.”
Though Lu Changsheng was aware of the Candle Dragon’s deep-seated hatred for the Taiyin Goddess, he could only offer these words to console Huo Wen.
At the very least, the descendants of the Candle Dragon like Huo Wen and Huo Zhang, born after the ancient wars and having attended to good relations with the Human Race’s cultivators over long years, lacked the blood-soaked enmity of the past. They were unwilling to reignite a war with the Human Race.