Chapter 290.2: The Heaven and Earth Form Shatters the Martial Dao! Lu Changsheng Returns in Triumph to the Immortal Martial World! (II)

What mattered most to an Earthly Saint? Undoubtedly, it was Martial Dao fragments. Only with Martial Dao fragments could one advance further on their Martial Dao. Without them, an Earthly Saint would remain stuck, with no chance of advancing whatsoever.

As such, no Earthly Saint could keep their composure when it came to Martial Dao fragments. Every single Earthly Saint in Divine Sword Manor hurried to the main hall at once, hoping to get their hands on some fragments.

Xiahou Puyu looked at the many Earthly Saints with burning eyes and could only sigh.

"Fellow Daoist Lu, can you show us the Martial Dao fragments now?"

"Of course." Lu Changsheng took out the Martial Dao fragments. "There's twenty of them in total. According to our earlier agreement, the Divine Sword Manor gets thirty percent, which in this case comes to six. The fragments are all about the same size, so Manor Lord Xiahou, you may take your pick."

With that, Lu Changsheng carefully laid out all twenty Martial Dao fragments. They radiated an astonishing energy, and even at a glance, the Earthly Saints could sense the tremendous power within them.

"These Martial Dao fragments are at the Earthly Saint level!"

"Not simply Earthly Saint level! These fragments are at the very peak of the Earthly Saint level. One of them is worth ten, or even a hundred other Martial Dao fragments!"

"Exactly! I've never seen Martial Dao fragments this powerful. If I got even one, it would be enough to comprehend the laws for several years. It would surely do wonders for my own Martial Dao."

"Who's going to get the six Martial Dao fragments?"

"They might split them into lots of smaller pieces..."

Seeing Martial Dao fragments of such superb quality, the Earthly Saints in the main hall were burning with desire. Some were already working out how to approach the manor lord. After all, the Martial Dao fragments would go to whoever took action first. One step too slow, and there would be nothing left to grab.

Some of the Earthly Saints who had not gone into the Primal World were especially envious of Lu Changsheng. After all, he was getting seventy percent of the bounty, which was fourteen fragments. With that many Martial Dao fragments, he might well have a shot at becoming a Heavenly Saint. That was the realm most Earthly Saints could only dream of.

In fact, Xiahou Puyu had also been using telepathy to question the Earthly Saints who had accompanied Lu Changsheng to confirm the number of fragments. After all, he did not know Lu Changsheng very well, and when it came to such important matters, one could never place complete trust in another, no matter what promises had been made or oaths sworn.

Fortunately, the Earthly Saints had witnessed Lu Changsheng shatter the Martial Dao with their own eyes, so there was no mistake about the final number.

Xiahou Puyu rose and bowed to Lu Changsheng. "We are truly grateful for your help, Fellow Daoist Lu."

Indeed, Lu Changsheng alone had made a huge difference, but ultimately, the two sides had worked as partners. Without the coordinates and all the groundwork laid out by Divine Sword Manor, Lu Changsheng would not have been able to obtain the fragments in just two years.

"Fellow Daoist Xiahou, I came away from the Primal World with a few other gains this time. I wonder if you might be interested? If so, you can trade Martial Dao fragments for them."

Lu Changsheng's words left Xiahou Puyu momentarily stunned.

Other gains?

What treasure could possibly compare with Martial Dao fragments? It looked like Lu Changsheng was trying to keep all fragments for himself without breaking his oath either.

Naturally, everyone in the main hall tensed up.

"Manor lord, if I'm not mistaken, Fellow Daoist Lu is talking about spirit relics!" exclaimed one of the Earthly Saints who had accompanied Lu Changsheng in the Primal world.

Xiahou Puyu's heart gave a violent jolt. "What? A spirit relic?"

He found himself in a difficult position. After all, being invincible as an Earthly Saint meant being able to stand against a spirit relic. That comparison alone spoke volumes about the power of a spirit relic.

Moreover, despite the lack of mana, martial artists could wield spirit relics too. After all, a spirit relic could be activated by its artifact spirit at the cost of some spirit stones and spirit crystals. As such, the relic was quite convenient to use.

On top of that, a spirit relic served another key purpose, and that was allowing one to control their fate. Fate was a mysterious and elusive thing, seemingly impossible to tamper with, but it was undoubtedly real.

For immortal sects, martial sects, and even clans and other kinds of faction, there were only two ways to secure their standing once they became powerful enough. They either needed a top expert protecting it, such as a top Earthly Saint, a great Void Refinement cultivator, or a Heavenly Saint, or they needed a spirit relic to be in charge of their own fate.

With a spirit relic, any force would be guaranteed to grow more and more prosperous over the span of centuries. More and more talented disciples would emerge, and those talented disciples would every so often stumble upon miraculous opportunities that would further solidify the sect's foundations. Ultimately, a spirit relic was a way of securing a sect's fortune.

Naturally, every major sect would be eager to obtain a spirit relic. The Immortal Martial World had many spirit relics, yet all of them were already claimed. Worse still, spirit relics could not be forged. Hypothetically, even if one secured the precise materials that made up the relic, forging it would still be impossible.

A spirit relic had to give birth to sentience. In other words, the treasure itself had to give rise to an artifact spirit before it could be called a spirit relic, and one could not manufacture something like that. As such, spirit relics were something one could only hope to stumble upon, and that was precisely what made them so precious.

"Fellow Daoist Lu, d-do you really have a spirit relic?" Xiahou Puyu asked in a shaky voice.

Lu Changsheng merely held out his hand.

Whoosh!

A small pagoda faintly appeared in Lu Changsheng's palm, radiating a dazzling seven-colored light.

"This is the Seven-Colored Flowing Light Pagoda, a support and sealing spirit relic. Entering the Seven-Colored Flowing Light Pagoda enhances one's Perception. It can also suppress a great many stray thoughts, which helps tremendously with comprehending laws. Artifact spirit, come out and meet Fellow Daoist Xiahou."

The moment Lu Changsheng's voice fell, an artifact spirit suddenly emerged from the small pagoda. The spirit seemed very timid. It took one glance at Xiahou Puyu and immediately shrank back into the pagoda. Still, that brief appearance was enough to dispel any doubts about the authenticity of the spirit relic.

In truth, support-type spirit relics were precisely the kind that major sects flocked to. That kind of spirit relic could be of tremendous help to disciples, which meant securing a continuous stream of experts.

An actual spirit relic!

Xiahou Puyu's heart nearly leaped out of his chest. With that spirit relic, Divine Sword Manor would most likely stand firm for thousands, even tens of thousands of years to come. Perhaps, they might even produce a Heavenly Saint, which would grant Divine Sword Manor unparalleled glory.

If Xiahou Puyu managed to secure a spirit relic and usher in an age of unprecedented prosperity, he too would obtain great glory, standing alongside the founder of Divine Sword Manor.

Indeed, the temptation was too great. What major sect could turn down a spirit relic?

Seeing the look on Xiahou Puyu's face, some of the Earthly Saint elders grew anxious.

"Manor lord, please think carefully! Martial Dao fragments may be precious, but they won't draw covetous eyes. In the case of a spirit relic, the Divine Sword Manor has to ask itself first whether it can hold on to it."

Of course, the Earthly Saint elders also had their own agendas. If Divine Sword Manor chose the fragments, they would surely get a share, which would result in more power and progress.

A spirit relic would undoubtedly represent a great fortune for Divine Sword Manor for generations to come. However, it would not be of particular use to these Earthly Saints. Moreover, a spirit relic would inevitably draw unwanted attention to Divine Sword Manor, making it a target for other sects and factions. As such, the Earthly Saint elders were not keen on trading the Martial Dao fragments for Lu Changsheng's spirit relic.