Chapter 241.3: Taking Ten Sides, and Lu Changsheng Lays His Cards on the Table with the Heavenly River Sacred Land! (III)

The days passed one after another, and Lu Changsheng felt no urgency at all. He spent each of them at the Heavenly River Sacred Land, using the momentum of the masses to advance his Saint Body.

Just like that, three months had slipped by in the blink of an eye.

Eventually, Lu Changsheng called up the Status Panel.

[Status Panel]

Host: Lu Changsheng

Perception: 713,000 (Praised for a Hundred Generations)

Primordial Chaos Saint Body: Momentum of the Masses (5%)

Three months of cultivation had advanced the Primordial Chaos Saint Body by another percentage point, up to five percent. It was progress, but Lu Changsheng still found it slow. His Perception, on the other hand, had passed 700,000 points without his noticing. With another 300,000 points, it would transform once again.

Regardless, there was currently no urgency in terms of Perception. Refining the momentum of the masses to advance the Saint Body demanded little of it. He suspected, though, that becoming an Earthly Saint by refining a deity fragment would demand a great deal.

Buzz...

Lu Changsheng's communication stone trembled faintly. When he picked it up, he noticed a single line on it.

Eight sacred lands secured. Fellow Daoist Lu, you should make a trip to the Azure Mountain Sacred Land.

The message was from the sect master of the Azure Mountain Sacred Land.

Lu Changsheng narrowed his eyes slightly. So it's settled, at last.

Once he settled the matter of the eight sacred lands, he could very well set out for the Divine Region. Before that, however, he had to establish certain terms with all ten sacred lands.

So, Lu Changsheng quickly went to see the sect master of the Heavenly River Sacred Land.

"Sect Master, I am going to the Azure Mountain Sacred Land to discuss the Divine Region arrangements with the other sacred lands. It would be best if the Heavenly River Sacred Land sent someone as well."

Naturally, that someone could not be of low standing. It had to be a figure of real weight within the Heavenly River Sacred Land.

"Elder Immeasurable, how many sacred lands do you intend to join in total?" the sect master asked curiously.

"Ten, counting the Heavenly River Sacred Land."

Lu Changsheng saw no reason to conceal it. The matter was hardly a secret, and everything would be plain the moment he arrived at the Azure Mountain Sacred Land.

Hearing Lu Changsheng's answer, the sect master felt his heart lurch. "Ten... Ten sacred lands..."

Lu Changsheng truly intended to take ten sides at once. What shook the sect master most was not the number itself but the fact that Lu Changsheng was going to take that much momentum of the masses. The sheer volume was astonishing. Momentum of that scale was no longer a blessing, but a terrifying force that could crush a Saint Body outright!

Given his resolute stance, Lu Changsheng had to be incredibly confident in his own Saint Body, which was a testament to how powerful it had to be. Realizing that, the sect master was even more confident that Lu Changsheng might genuinely bring a deity fragment out of the Divine Region. Ultimately, the Heavenly River Sacred Land had to take this trip to the Azure Mountain Sacred Land most seriously!

"I will go myself," said the sect master.

The gathering of ten great sacred lands was, in practice, a negotiation with Lu Changsheng over the division of spoils. As such, going there himself would show far greater sincerity on part of the Heavenly River Sacred Land.

"Good. Better still if you go yourself, Sect Master. Though I hope we can depart as soon as possible."

The journey to the Azure Mountain Sacred Land would take three months.

"Then we leave at once," the sect master replied.

The sect master of the Heavenly River Sacred Land summoned his elders and made arrangements, after which he boarded a flying boat with Lu Changsheng and set out for the Azure Mountain Sacred Land.

They met with no trouble along the way, and three months later, they arrived.

Despite the bad blood between the Azure Mountain and Heavenly River Sacred, the sect master of the latter had no fear of danger within the rival walls. Being the sect master, he was confident no one would dare make a move against him.

The Azure Mountain Sacred Land had even sent an elder with great importance to receive Lu Changsheng and the sect master personally.

"Sect Master Wan, Fellow Daoist Lu, You have had a long journey."

Naturally, the Azure Mountain Sacred Land knew the surname of the sect master of the Heavenly River Sacred Land.

Lu Changsheng did not beat around the bush and asked directly, "Have the representatives of the other eight sacred lands arrived?"

"All of them. They are in the hall now, awaiting you and Sect Master Wan."

"Good. Then let's go straight there."

Lu Changsheng and Sect Master Wan flew directly toward the hall of the Azure Mountain Sacred Land, and reached it quickly.

The instant Lu Changsheng crossed the threshold, every gaze in the hall converged on him. The sect master of the Heavenly River Sacred Land, for all his rank, drew scarcely any notice at all. Lu Changsheng was the focus of them all.

Sect Master Xu of the Azure Mountain Sacred Land smiled faintly. "Sect Master Wan, Fellow Daoist Lu, you have arrived at last. These Fellow Daoists are the elders of the eight sacred lands..."

Sect Master Xu then introduced each of them to Lu Changsheng in turn, while Sect Master Wan seemed rather left out in the cold, though he took no offence. He understood perfectly well that every one of these sacred lands was here for a deity fragment, and that Lu Changsheng was the key to getting one.

By the end of the introductions Lu Changsheng had a clear picture of all eight, and he and Sect Master Wan took their seats.

"Everyone. You have each agreed to make Fellow Daoist Lu a titled elder of your sacred land. That being so, let's turn directly to the matter of the deity fragments.

"A term of one hundred years should present no difficulty. The crucial question is the order of distribution once Fellow Daoist Lu obtains them. That must be settled now, so it doesn't turn into a dispute later."

Sect Master Xu went straight to the heart of it.

The order of distribution was no small thing. Nobody could guarantee Lu Changsheng would come away with ten deity fragments. Should he obtain only a few and then meet with some misfortune, the sacred lands higher in the order would be the ones holding something real.

That, however, was a matter among the sacred lands themselves. Lu Changsheng fixed only two positions: the Heavenly River Sacred Land first, the Azure Mountain Sacred Land second. The remaining eight were left to settle their own ranking among themselves.

After fierce argument, and no doubt a few private undertakings between one sacred land and another, the order of the eight was arranged. Lu Changsheng studied the full sequence of all ten carefully and committed it to memory.

"I have no objection here, as long as I become a titled elder of all ten sacred lands," Lu Changsheng said heavily.

Before starting anything, he needed momentum from each of them first.

"Naturally."

"We will send word to our sect masters at once and have your name inscribed within each sacred land."

"Do you need time to prepare, Fellow Daoist Lu? Once a sacred land's momentum of the masses settles on you the burden to the Saint Body is considerable, and our eight will be settling on you one after another—"

"I am already prepared. There is no need for concern," Lu Changsheng said promptly.

Seeing how thoroughly assured Lu Changsheng looked, the elders of the other sacred lands nodded and hesitated no further, sending word to their own sect masters immediately.

They wanted to see for themselves whether Lu Changsheng could withstand the momentum of the masses of ten sacred lands. If he could, it would prove his strength beyond any doubt. If he failed, some of these sacred lands might well decline to work with him at all. In a sense, this was their assessment of him.

Lu Changsheng understood exactly what the elders were about, and he did not mind at all.

"Let's begin."

Lu Changsheng drew a deep breath, then sat cross-legged on the ground and waited quietly for the momentum of the remaining eight great sacred lands to settle upon him.