Chapter 248.2: Unmatched throughout history, and unrivaled by any other: A Heaven-Born Saint! (II)

Martial Saint Luo arrived at Lu Changsheng's side, his face lit with excitement. "Fellow Daoist Lu, you're truly unbelievable. Now that we have the deity fragments, our goal has finally been accomplished!"

Lu Changsheng did not share Martial Saint Luo's excitement. Instead, a flicker of suspicion crossed his eyes. "Martial Saint Luo, how exactly did you discover where the Blood River True God was hiding?"

Martial Saint Luo paused. "I've spent years lurking in the Blood River Divine Empire, and I happened to come across this information..."

"You happened to come across it?" Lu Changsheng clasped his hands behind his back, a knowing smile appearing on his face. "I suspect a deity deliberately allowed you to discover it. Look carefully. Which deity is hiding below us?"

Martial Saint Luo frowned slightly, alarm flashing in his eyes. "Are you saying there is another True God?"

Just then, a terrifying aura erupted from beneath them. A deity surrounded by a blood-colored glow rose into the air, dyeing the entire sky crimson and filling it with the thick, metallic scent of fresh blood.

"No, this isn't a True God... It's a Blood Divine King!" Martial Saint Luo exclaimed, his heart pounding.

Why would a Divine King be hiding beneath the Blood River True God's temple? Why would the two deities share the same hiding place? None of this makes sense!

Then, the answer came to him. A trap! This is a trap!

The information concerning Blood River True God's whereabouts had been deliberately leaked to lure Martial Saints here. There was no telling how many had followed the same lead and lost their lives.

"This was a trap all along, set by the Blood Divine King and Blood River True God, and we've walked right into it!" Martial Saint Luo cried out. "It's over! We're doomed!"

The presence of a Divine King left little hope of escape. A Divine King could simply seal the surrounding space, and sure enough, the Blood Divine King had already done so. Neither Great Teleportation Talismans nor Lesser Teleportation Talismans worked within a sealed area. Lu Changsheng and Martial Saint Luo were essentially like trapped mice for the Divine King.

Martial Saint Luo had never imagined that a Divine King would conspire with a True God to set such a vicious ambush and wait for unsuspecting prey to come to them.

"Who killed the Blood River True God?" demanded the Blood Divine King, its thunderous voice reverberating throughout the air.

Deities generally showed no emotions, but that did not mean they were incapable of anger; they simply did not display it. Now, though, it was rather clear that the Blood Divine King was enraged.

The two deities had set this trap together, meant to ambush wave after wave of Martial Saints and True Lords. And yet, before the Blood Divine King could even reveal itself, the Blood River True God had been killed right under its nose. How could it not be enraged?

However, Lu Changsheng remained perfectly composed, even as the Blood Divine King raged before him. He glanced at Martial Saint Luo and calmly reminded him, "Watch closely, Martial Saint Luo. And don't forget to activate the recording stone."

With that, the thousand-zhang Primordial Chaos Saint Body moved.

Boom!

Another punch shot out. Countless fist shadows seemed to fill the air as the power of Lu Changsheng's three immeasurable divine abilities erupted, amplifying the attack hundreds of times over.

"What?!"

The Blood Divine King was startled, but Martial Saint Luo was even more astounded. He could hardly believe what he was witnessing. This was not just some flashy display of strength. It genuinely seemed like this attack could take down a Divine King.

Does this mean that Fellow Daoist Lu's strength is already at the Earthly Saint level?

Throughout history, no Human Saint had ever rivaled an Earthly Saint, much less managed to unleash a single attack equal to one. The gap between the two levels was considered an insurmountable chasm. And yet, Lu Changsheng had just upended that established fact. He had truly delivered a strike at the Earthly Saint level even though he was only a Human Saint.

The Blood Divine King responded in fury. An immense sea of blood gathered in the air and condensed into a colossal fist before hurtling toward the Primordial Chaos Saint Body.

Neither the Divine King nor Lu Changsheng used any flashy tricks. They met each other with pure, overwhelming force.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Their attacks collided with a violent crash. The space shattered, and the sea of blood scattered under the shockwave.

Martial Saint Luo aimed the recording stone at the point of impact and saw that neither side had gained the upper hand. In this exchange, Lu Changsheng and the Blood Divine King seemed evenly matched.

"Good heavens... Fellow Daoist's strike is at the same level of a Divine King..." Martial Saint Luo stood dumbfounded, struggling to believe what he had just witnessed.

However, as hard as it was to accept, it was the truth. He could not deny what he had just seen with his own eyes. Had someone merely told him about this, he would never have believed Lu Changsheng could actually deliver a blow that rivaled a Divine King's. He certainly would not have believed that Lu Changsheng could stand up to a Divine King by himself.

"What are you waiting for, Martial Saint Luo?" Lu Changsheng's voice pulled him from his daze. "Use the Great Teleportation Talisman, and let's meet back at the Saint Alliance branch."

With that, Lu Changsheng activated a Great Teleportation Talisman. His figure flickered, then vanished without a trace.

He had never intended to fight the Blood Divine King. That clash had served to shatter the seal cast by the Blood Divine King and give them an opportunity to escape. Having accomplished that, Lu Changsheng and Martial Saint Luo had no reason to linger.

Martial Saint Luo hurriedly activated his own Great Teleportation Talisman and escaped as well, leaving the Blood Divine King behind in his rage.

***

A month had passed since Lu Changsheng returned to the Saint Alliance branch. Eventually, he met up with Martial Saint Luo again.

"Fellow Daoist Lu..." Martial Saint Luo looked at him with a complicated expression.

A month earlier, he had followed Lu Changsheng to the Blood River True God's lair. There, Lu Changsheng had killed the Blood River True God with a single blow before confronting the Blood Divine King. For a Human Saint to unleash an attack equal to that of a Divine King was unheard of, and even now, Martial Saint Luo found it astonishing.

"Fellow Daoist Luo, do you still have the recording stone?" asked Lu Changsheng.

"Of course." Martial Saint Luo took out the stone at once.

Lu Changsheng examined the recording carefully. Everything had been preserved clearly, from the moment he had killed the Blood River True God with a single punch to his clash with the Blood Divine King.

Satisfied with the recording, Lu Changsheng handed Martial Saint Luo the deity fragment he had promised him. "Fellow Daoist Luo, here's your deity fragment. I would also like you to do me a favor. Show this recording around and spread it. Make sure everyone in the Saint Alliance branch learns about my battle with the Blood Divine King."

Martial Saint Luo seemed taken aback. "Spread the recording?"

Most martial artists preferred to conceal their strength, revealing them only when necessary. Lu Changsheng, however, seemed determined to draw as much attention as possible.

Naturally, Martial Saint Luo had no way of knowing Lu Changsheng's true purpose. Lu Changsheng wanted to gather enough deity fragments as quickly as possible, and the easiest way to do that was to make his strength widely known.

Once the Martial Saints of the Saint Alliance learned that he could contend with a Divine King, anyone who possessed information about the whereabouts of other deities might approach him on their own and offer to work with him.

There was something else that puzzled Martial Saint Luo. Lu Changsheng had already obtained several deity fragments, so why had he not left the Divine Region yet?

Still, whatever Lu Changsheng's reasons were, they had nothing to do with him anymore.

"Very well," Martial Saint Luo agreed. "I'll help spread the recording throughout the Saint Alliance branch."

It was only a small favor, after all.

Martial Saint Luo left with his deity fragment. Before departing the Divine Region, he also spread the recording stored within the recording stone.