Chapter 247.3: Battling a Divine King with a Thousand-Zhang Saint Body! (III)

No matter how strong the Blood River True God is, it's still only a True God. It's not stronger than a Divine King. If its power truly rivaled that of a Divine King, it would no longer be regarded as a True God in the first place.

With that in his mind, Lu Changsheng walked straight toward the Martial Saint recruiting teammates. "Are you forming a team to hunt the Blood River True God?"

The Martial Saint's expression brightened. "That's right. We already have four people, and we need one more. However, we're looking for a supreme Human Saint."

Lu Changsheng pressed further. "Do you know the True God's exact location?"

"We don't have the exact location, but I know the general area. Once we make our move, we'll find it easily enough."

Lu Changsheng nodded. Knowing the rough location was enough.

"Very well. I'll join you, but without the others. This hunt only requires the two of us."

The Martial Saint stared at him, unable to believe what he had heard. "You want me to remove the other three Martial Saints and go with you alone?"

He had seen every kind of proud, aloof Martial Saint form a team before, but refusing to work with people who had already signed on? That was new.

Unsurprisingly, the other three Martial Saints who had already been recruited reacted with immediate hostility.

"How arrogant."

"You want to kick us out? First prove that you are capable of killing a True God."

"He must be new to the Divine Region. He has no idea how powerful a True God can be, yet he already wants to keep the spoils for himself. Let me tell you, with only two people, you'll end up dead!"

"In all my years in the Divine Region, I've never met a Martial Saint as arrogant as this one."

The other Martial Saints broke into cold sneers. Even the Martial Saint rounding up the team found himself taken aback by Lu Changsheng's attitude. Hunting a True God with only two Martial Saints was suicide. They would simply go from hunters to prey, becoming the laughing stock of the Saint Alliance.

"Fellow Daoist Lu, look—"

"Let's just settle this in the arena," Lu Changsheng cut off the recruiter. "Let the results speak for themselves."

The three Martial Saints immediately stopped smiling. "All three of us together?"

Moments ago, they had essentially mocked him. But now that this stranger had openly challenged all three of them to the arena, that laughter curdled into something more hesitant. Someone with no ability would never challenge three Martial Saints to attack him together.

After a moment of hesitation, one of them snorted. "What's there to fear? The three of us together are strong enough to hunt a True God. Why should we be afraid of some Martial Saint who crawled out of nowhere?"

"Exactly," another agreed. "Since you're so eager to humiliate yourself, let us oblige you. Fellow Daoist Luo can serve as our witness."

Martial Saint Luo was the one who had organized the team. He had already lined up three teammates, and with Lu Changsheng added, that would have made a full team of five, enough to hunt the Blood River True God.

However, Lu Changsheng had thrown a wrench into Martial Saint Luo's plan. Not only did he want to remove the other three members from the team, he also seemed completely confident that the two of them could complete the hunt alone.

Luo had wavered at first, caught between the two sides. But when both sides agreed to settle things in the arena, he also agreed to it. Indeed, a fight in the arena would settle the matter more clearly than any argument.

"Very well," Martial Saint Luo said. "But remember, this will only be a friendly spar. Once you enter the arena, do not let the contest lead to any bad blood between you."

With that decided, all five of them headed toward the arena.

Before long, Lu Changsheng and the three Martial Saints stepped into the arena and took their positions opposite one another. The unusual matchup immediately drew a crowd. Fights in the arena were almost always fought one-on-one, yet Lu Changsheng was preparing to face three Martial Saints by himself.

Several spectators soon recognized Lu Changsheng.

"Hey, that Martial Saint looks familiar..."

"Isn't he Lu Changsheng? He fought Martial Saint Yang Mao here not long ago."

"That's right. With one move, he forced Yang Mao to concede. He's pretty strong."

"Why's he back here again? It looks like he's taking on three at once?"

Plenty of Martial Saints still remembered Lu Changsheng. After all, the Saint Alliance branch did not have so many members that an outstanding Martial Saint could easily be forgotten. Lu Changsheng's effortless victory over Yang Mao had left a lasting impression, and many recognized him as soon as they saw his face.

Martial Saint Luo was surprised by the discussion around him. He did not know Lu Changsheng personally, but from what the crowd was saying, this newcomer was strong enough to have taken down Yang Mao himself.

Martial Saint Luo knew Yang Mao well enough. He knew Yang Mao had recently obtained a deity fragment and left the Divine Region. He also knew how strong Yang Mao was. So, for Lu Changsheng to overpower Yang Mao in a single move could only mean Lu Changsheng was remarkably strong.

The three Martial Saints in the arena paid no attention to the growing crowd. Despite the mockery they had thrown around before the match, they would not underestimate Lu Changsheng once the fight began. They were seasoned fighters who had clawed their way through countless life-and-death battles, and they knew better than to hold back against another Martial Saint, especially one bold enough to challenge three individuals at once.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The three of Martial Saints manifested their Saint Bodies at once. Towering dozens of zhang into the air, each one radiated a terrifying pressure of its own. The largest stood close to fifty zhang tall, well past the usual twenty to thirty zhang most Saint Bodies stood at.

The three Saint Bodies advanced together, their combined pressure sealing the surrounding space as they charged straight at Lu Changsheng.

Lu Changsheng held his ground, calm and composed. Even as their overwhelming power bore down upon him, his expression did not change.

Buzz...

A Saint Body manifested above Lu Changsheng, and the moment it appeared, the entire arena fell silent. It stood a hundred zhang tall, far larger than any of the three Saint Bodies facing it. Even then, Lu Changsheng was still holding back. Had he released his full power, his Saint Body could have grown close to a thousand zhang.

A suffocating pressure rolled from Lu Changsheng's Saint Body and filled the arena. The difference between his and the three other Martial Saints' was starkly clear.

Next, Lu Changsheng's Saint Body raised one arm and brought its palm down toward the three Martial Saints. The strike seemed to cover the entire sky, as though that one hand existed everywhere at once.

The three Martial Saints felt the ground shift beneath them, and the pressure made them feel like death was closing in.

"How can this be...?"

"The three of us together cannot even withstand his power?"

"This pressure... We can't hold it..."

Their faces turned pale. All the confidence they had shown before the match vanished at once.

The three Martial Saints poured all their strength into their attacks, but Lu Changsheng's hand smashed right through their Saint Bodies, shattering them bit by bit. There was nothing the three Martial Saints could do except stare directly at the colossal hand with terror and panic.

"We surrender! We admit defeat!"

The three Martial Saints quickly conceded. If Lu Changsheng continued his attack, their Saint Bodies would almost certainly collapse, and the subsequent damage would take years to repair. Besides, this whole thing had only begun as a dispute over pride. There was no reason to risk such a devastating loss, especially when the outcome was already clear.

Lu Changsheng withdrew his Saint Body as soon as he heard them surrender. He had expected as much. Against his Primordial Chaos Saint Body, three Martial Saints posed no threat. Even eight or ten attacking him together would likely have met the same result.

The spectators in the arena, however, were stunned. Three Martial Saints had joined forces, yet they could not even hold against one strike from Lu Changsheng. Instead, they had been forced to concede almost immediately.

For several moments, no one in the crowd spoke up. They could only stare at the arena, struggling to believe what they had just witnessed.