Chapter 248.1: Unmatched throughout history, and unrivaled by any other: A Heaven-Born Saint! (I)

After surrendering to Lu Changsheng, the three Martial Saints were too embarrassed to remain in the arena. They hurried off, their silhouettes turning into streaks of light and disappearing without a trace.

The Martial Saints who had been watching, however, remained frozen in shock.

"Three Martial Saints together couldn't defeat Lu Changsheng?"

"What did I just see? Am I dreaming?"

"Those three Martial Saints weren't weak. One of their Saint Bodies was nearly fifty zhang tall, but they were utterly powerless before Martial Saint Lu."

"Just how strong is Martial Saint Lu?"

Many Martial Saints were shaken to their core, unable to grasp how strong Lu Changsheng truly was. Normally, even a supreme Martial Saint would fear being surrounded by several other Martial Saints. No matter how powerful a supreme Martial Saint became, there was still a limit to their strength.

And yet, it seemed that Lu Changsheng had no such limitations. Some of the spectators found themselves wondering for the first time whether a Martial Saint could actually rival an Earthly Saint.

Of course, none of them actually believed that was possible. Although Human Saints, Earthly Saints, and Heavenly Saints all belonged to the Martial Saint Realm, most martial artists used the term "Martial Saint" to refer specifically to Human Saints. Earthly Saints and Heavenly Saints were exceedingly rare and seldom appeared before others. The Saint Alliance, for example, consisted entirely of Human Saints, as Earthly Saints could not even enter the Divine Region.

Regardless, Lu Changsheng's strength had far exceeded their understanding, leaving them unable to determine just how powerful he truly was.

Martial Saint Luo, meanwhile, was overjoyed. Having confirmed that Lu Changsheng alone was stronger than three Martial Saints combined, he no longer found any reason to refuse joining forces with him. This was far better than he had hoped.

"Fellow Daoist Lu, I clearly underestimated you earlier," Martial Saint Luo said with a wide smile. "I had no idea you carried such terrifying strength..."

He had already forgotten about the other three Martial Saints, as now he was certain that having just Lu Changsheng with him would be enough.

"Fellow Daoist Lu," Martial Saint Luo continued. "About the team formation... If it's just the two of us, once we obtain a deity fragment, how do we split it?"

"You provided the information, so if we find only one deity fragment, it will go to you," said Lu Changsheng. "If we obtain two or more, you still receive one fragment, regardless of the total number. What do you think?"

This arrangement protected Martial Saint Luo's interests as much as possible. The information had come from him after all, and if Lu Changsheng could not guarantee him a deity fragment, he could simply seek out other Martial Saints and form a different team.

Lu Changsheng, for his part, was confident they would secure more than one deity fragment. He had become considerably stronger, to the point where he could now slay a True God instantly while controlling the force of his attacks with greater precision.

Although he was still unable to capture a True God alive, he no longer had to go all out and utterly obliterate the deity, leaving behind only one intact fragment. By carefully controlling his power, he might obtain two, three, or even more fragments from one True God.

Martial Saint Luo thought for a moment, then nodded. "Very well. We'll go with your arrangement, Fellow Daoist Lu. I only need one deity fragment anyway."

Getting his hands on a single deity fragment was the entire reason he had spent so many years in the Divine Region. Hunting True Gods alongside other Martial Saints involved countless uncertainties, and even a carefully assembled team might return empty-handed. With Lu Changsheng beside him, however, failure seemed almost impossible, unless they were unfortunate enough to run into a Divine King.

"Let us go straight to Blood River True God," said Lu Changsheng, unwilling to waste any more time. "Bring a recording stone as well. I want to capture this battle."

Since Lu Changsheng intended to draw attention to himself to get more leads on True Gods, he naturally needed evidence of his strength. He could claim that he was capable of contending with a Divine King, but there was no guarantee anyone would believe him. Capturing the whole battle with a recording stone would be far more convincing.

With everything settled, Lu Changsheng and Martial Saint Luo left the Saint Alliance branch and headed directly for the Blood River Divine Empire.

***

Not long later, the pair arrived at the Blood River Temple.

"We're here, Fellow Daoist Lu. The Blood River True God lies beneath the Blood River Temple. It ranks among the most powerful True Gods, which is why so many Martial Saints were needed to surround and kill it in the past. Now, whether the True God falls again depends entirely on you, Fellow Daoist Lu."

The Blood River True God would not be easy prey, but Lu Changsheng was also immensely strong, so Martial Saint Luo decided to have faith in him.

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Lu Changsheng reassured him, then he drew a deep breath and stepped forward.

Boom!

With a thunderous sound, the Primordial Chaos Saint Body manifested above him. But this time, instead of stopping at a hundred zhang, it continued expanding until it stood at nearly a thousand zhang tall. It loomed across everything and blotted out the sky, radiating a terrifying might that seemed to engulf the entire region.

Martial Saint Luo's eyes went wide with shock. Fellow Daoist Lu's Saint Body had only been a hundred zhang tall at the Saint Alliance branch. How has it now grown to nearly a thousand zhang? Could it be that he hadn't revealed his full strength back then...?

Suddenly, he remembered Lu Changsheng's instructions. Oh, right, the video recording stone. I need to record this!

Martial Saint Luo hurriedly took out the stone, not daring to delay for even a moment. He immediately began recording everything unfolding before him.

Just then, Lu Changsheng cried out, "Got you! Come out!"

He threw a punch, and the earth split apart under the force of the blow. The Blood River Temple collapsed instantly and was reduced to rubble, while the ground beneath it caved in to form a massive crater. Then, deep within the fissure, a terrifying, vast aura stirred to life.

"How insolent!" The Blood River True God roared as it emerged from beneath the ruins.

A vast river of blood coiled around its body, surging endlessly in the air.

"Who dares disturb me?" The True God looked ready to devour anyone in sight, still oblivious to what it was about to face.

Lu Changsheng had no interest in wasting words. He immediately threw another punch.

Boom!

Another deafening sound rang out, and the sky looked like it was about to collapse. The Blood River True God looked up and saw the enormous fist filling its entire field of vision. No matter which direction it turned, there seemed to be nothing else but this massive fist.

The punch had not landed yet, but a sharp pain already spread across its divine body, as though countless needles were piercing it at once. Every instinct within the True God screamed a warning, as though death was one step away.

And yet, the one standing before the True God was merely a Martial Saint. Taken down by a mere Martial Saint? The Blood River True God was not about to let that happen.

"Blood River!" the True God shouted furiously. And in the next second, a massive river of blood surged toward Lu Changsheng like an unstoppable tide.

Crash!

The crimson tide collapsed instantly beneath Lu Changsheng's fist. The divine body of the Blood River True Body offered just as little resistance, blasted apart instantly.

Once again, Lu Changsheng had destroyed a supreme True God with a single punch. He reached out using his Saint Body's enormous hand and gathered the fragments left behind. Four complete deity fragments and more than a dozen smaller shards fell into his palm.

What a haul! Lu Changsheng's eyes lit up as he examined the four deity fragments. Even after giving one to Martial Saint Luo, he would still have three remaining. Together with the four already in his possession, that brought his total to seven. Three more, and he would be close to completing the task of the ten sacred lands.

While Lu Changsheng thought nothing much of killing a True God, Martial Saint Luo was completely stunned. That was the Blood River True God! A supreme True God obliterated to a handful of deity fragments with just one punch?!

He had prepared himself to watch the battle carefully, then intervene at the critical moment to help Lu Changsheng strike the True God together. But ultimately, one punch had been enough to settle the fight.

For a moment, Martial Saint Luo found himself wondering whether the Blood River True God had simply been weaker than its reputation suggested or whether Lu Changsheng's strength had actually advanced to a monstrous level that defied human comprehension.