Chapter 250.2: Lu Changsheng Becomes an Earthly Saint at Twenty-Six Years Old! (II)

Lu Changsheng's expression changed slightly. Then, with a single thought, he flew out of the Heavenly River Hall and rose into the sky. A moment later, his ten-thousand-zhang Earthly Saint Dao Body manifested, and an overwhelming might instantly swept across the entire Heavenly River Sacred Land.

Sect Master Wan made no attempt to stop Lu Changsheng. He merely stood there with a faint smile and watched as Lu Changsheng manifested his Earthly Saint Dao Body.

The other disciples and elders, however, had no idea what was happening. One after another, they looked up at the enormous figure towering over the sacred land.

"Is that... Elder Lu?"

"The aura coming off Elder Lu is horrifying. They say he's reached some unfathomable realm, far beyond the Human Saint. What is he trying to do?"

"A Saint Body ten thousand zhang tall..."

Many of the disciples did not even know that there was an Earthly Saint Realm above the Human Saint Realm. So naturally, they had no idea that what Lu Changsheng had manifested was no longer a Saint Body, but a Dao Body.

Some of the Martial Saint elders, however, seemed to realize what Lu Changsheng intended to do.

"Is Elder Lu trying to strike the Martial Dao?" The thought alone left several of them shaken.

Striking the Martial Dao required tremendous courage. Martial artists might contend against heaven and earth throughout their cultivation, but the Martial Dao was different. It was formed from the collective will of countless martial artists and held an almost sacred place in their hearts. Striking it directly was not for the weak.

However, Lu Changsheng did not care.

"Shatter!" he shouted as his Saint Body threw a punch.

The void shattered beneath the force of the blow. Countless strands of the power of heaven and earth gathered around his fist. They combined with the terrifying strength of the Dao Body before crashing into a particular point within the void where the Martial Dao was.

Strictly speaking, the Martial Dao existed everywhere, but not everyone could reach it. Only those who could sense it could also reach it and attack it.

Lu Changsheng struck with everything he had. The punch was so powerful that he felt if he had unleashed the same attack in the Divine Region, even ten or eight Divine Kings would have been reduced to dust.

However, the moment his fist struck the Martial Dao, all that terrifying power seemed to disappear. It was like hurling a stone into an endless ocean.

What the... Lu Changsheng's eyes widened slightly.

Only now did he truly understand what Sect Master Wan had meant. The Martial Dao of this world had developed for countless years and was supported by a tremendous number of martial artists. Among them were not only Earthly Saints, but many Heavenly Saints as well, and perhaps even existences beyond the Heavenly Saint Realm.

Generation after generation of powerful martial artists had caused the Martial Dao to grow to an almost unimaginable level. And with his current strength, he could not shatter it in the slightest. Even if he became a hundred times, a thousand times, or ten thousand times stronger, he still might not be able to break the Martial Dao apart.

Lu Changsheng withdrew his Earthly Saint Dao Body and returned to the Heavenly River Hall.

"Elder Lu, how did it go?" Sect Master Wan asked with a smile.

Lu Changsheng shook his head. "The Martial Dao is unshakable. I felt like an ant trying to topple a tree. I suppose it's simply not possible to break it and claim a Martial Dao fragment that way."

He paused slightly. "But if that's true, does that mean there is no way forward? Can no one advance to Heavenly Saint anymore? There has to be another way, right?"

Lu Changsheng refused to believe that the path of the Martial Dao had truly been cut off.

Sect Master Wan smiled. "There's no doubt an Earthly Saint's cultivation requires Martial Dao fragments, and it's also true that the Martial Dao of our world is unshakable. But that doesn't mean Earthly Saints have no way forward, or that martial artists are forever stuck. Our world may have no answer, but other worlds do. The secret world, for one.

Lu Changsheng's heart shuddered. Secret world?

It was the first time he had ever heard of such a world.

Sect Master Wan went on, "In the past, grand experts traveled throughout our world and came to understand just how vast it truly was. It was immense enough for both the Immortal Dao and the Martial Dao to flourish side by side, so they named it the Immortal Martial World.

"Those grand experts also discovered something unusual about the Immortal Martial World. They realized there was a powerful force to it, something that draws countless smaller worlds toward it. Those smaller worlds are what we call secret worlds.

"At certain times, a secret world will approach the Immortal Martial World and may even come into contact with it. After remaining nearby for a period of time, it will gradually drift away again. Every secret world is different, but they all have one thing in common: their energy levels are far lower than that of the Immortal Martial World.

"Many of those secret worlds have no Martial Dao at all. Some do not even have martial artists. If an Earthly Saint enters such a world and spreads the Martial Dao there, allowing it to flourish until a Martial Dao takes shape, that newly formed Martial Dao will still be extremely weak. At that point, it can be shattered, allowing the Earthly Saint to obtain Martial Dao fragments.

"If fortune favors you, the Martial Dao fragments obtained from a single secret world may be enough to support your cultivation all the way to Heavenly Saint. Of course, that would be an exceptionally favorable outcome. With poorer luck, you might need to gather fragments from several secret worlds, perhaps even more than a dozen, before accumulating enough to become a Heavenly Saint."

Lu Changsheng nodded in understanding. In essence, secret worlds were like the Secret Realm he had been to before

"Then did the founding ancestor of the Heavenly River Sacred Land also enter a secret world, obtain Martial Dao fragments there, and use them to advance to Heavenly Saint?" asked Lu Changsheng.

"Indeed," replied Sect Master Wan. "The founding ancestor once entered a secret world and obtained Martial Dao fragments there. However, the ancestor did not discover that secret world personally. The coordinates were purchased from the Secret World Pavilion.

"In fact, nearly every Earthly Saint who wishes to enter a secret world must purchase its coordinates from the Secret World Pavilion. It is said that the Secret World Pavilion is backed by great entities beyond the Heavenly Saint Realm. It has also gathered a large number of people dedicated specifically to studying secret worlds. They can observe and predict the movements of secret worlds, and even find ways to attract them toward the Immortal Martial World.

"So, Elder Lu, if you wish to continue cultivating as an Earthly Saint, or even advance to Heavenly Saint one day, you will have to visit the Secret World Pavilion."

Lu Changsheng now understood why the Secret World Pavilion held such an extraordinary position. It possessed the coordinates of numerous secret worlds and was backed by terrifying experts beyond Heavenly Saints. Naturally, no ordinary person or organization would dare provoke it.

Of course, someone could occasionally stumble across the coordinates of a secret world through sheer luck, but the chances were so slim that there was no point relying on such a possibility.

"Where is the Secret World Pavilion?" asked Lu Changsheng.

"It's not in the Sacred Earth, but in the Sacred Region," replied Sect Master Wan. "Although this place is called the Sacred Earth, the true center of the Martial Dao in the Immortal Martial World is the Sacred Region. The strongest Martial Dao experts from across the entire Immortal Martial World gather there. Heavenly Saints preside over it, and even great beings beyond the Heavenly Saint Realm can be found there."

Lu Changsheng now knew where he had to go. He was still young, and having only just reached the Earthly Saint Realm, he wanted to continue forward on the Martial Dao. So, the Sacred Region would be his next destination.

"Thank you, Sect Master," he said while clasping his hands.

Although Lu Changsheng was a titled elder of the Heavenly River Sacred Land, the position had always been transactional in nature. He had accepted the title so that he could cultivate using the momentum of the masses, and the Heavenly River Sacred Land was not the only faction with which he had made such an arrangement. In name, he was an elder of ten sacred lands altogether.

Now, however, the momentum of the masses could no longer benefit his cultivation, and he had already given each of those sacred lands a deity fragment in return for what he had received. The exchange between Lu Changsheng and the sacred lands had run its course; leaving was only a matter of time, and both he and Sect Master Wan knew it well.

"Elder Lu, this map marks the exact locations of the Secret World Pavilion's branches," said Sect Master Wan, handing it over. "Once you reach the Sacred Region, you can find the pavilion simply by asking around. It has branches throughout the Sacred Region, so locating one will not be difficult."

He then handed Lu Changsheng another record. "This contains the personal experiences and insights our founding ancestor recorded while exploring the secret worlds. I hope it will be of some use to you. According to the ancestor, the most important thing inside a secret world is Perception. For a prodigy such as yourself, I imagine Perception is the least of your concerns."

Lu Changsheng suppressed a smirk. Indeed, when it came to Perception, who could compare to him? His Perception had already surpassed one million points and reached the level of Heaven-Born Saint.

He accepted the founding ancestor's cultivation insights and immediately understood how valuable they were. Records like this would ordinarily be restricted to the core elders and direct disciples of the Heavenly River Sacred Land, yet Sect Master Wan had given them to him without hesitation.

Clearly, Sect Master Wan wanted to form a deeper bond with Lu Changsheng, one that went beyond their previous transaction. If Lu Changsheng eventually became a Heavenly Saint, the goodwill already present between them could bring enormous benefits to the Heavenly River Sacred Land in the future.

Of course, Lu Changsheng understood his intentions. "Thank you, Sect Master. I will remember what the Heavenly River Sacred Land has done for me."

"I wish you every success, Elder Lu," replied Sect Master Wan with a warm smile.

Sect Master Wan knew that the Sacred Earth could no longer hold Lu Changsheng. Sooner or later, he would leave and pursue a higher level of the Martial Dao. But now that the Heavenly River Sacred Land had established this bond of goodwill with him, the farther he went in the future, the more the sacred land might benefit from that connection.

After taking his leave, Lu Changsheng returned to his cave residence. Once inside, he took out the cultivation insights left behind by the Heavenly River Sacred Land's founding ancestor and began reading them carefully.

The record described the ancestor's experiences after entering a secret world known as the Sand Worm World. Once there, the ancestor had gradually risen to prominence, established the Martial Dao, and used it to secure his position in that world. Eventually, the Martial Dao took shape within the Sand Worm World, allowing the ancestor to obtain the Martial Dao fragments needed for cultivation.

The account did not explain every step in detail, but it was enough for Lu Changsheng to understand the general path he would need to follow.

A sharp glint flickered in his eyes. Looks like I have to establish myself through martial arts, and condense the Martial Dao from it.

For an Earthly Saint who had only just begun cultivating at this level, the founding ancestor's experiences were extraordinarily valuable. They were like a guiding lamp, showing him where the path ahead lay.