Southern Realm.
A thousand miles from Celestial Extreme City, atop a mountain peak.
A slender young woman in purple stood on a large boulder, eyes closed as she examined the Communication Talisman in front of her. After a long moment, her beautiful eyes opened, and she murmured, "An alchemist from Celestial Lake City, Zhang Han?! He snatched Yu Kun Divine Monarchâs legacy?"
"Yu Kun Divine Monarch is the strongest Golden Core in three centuries, able to counter-slay those in the Nascent Soul Stage. His Divine Sense was said to be unequaled. If I can get my hands on his legacy, my power would soar. But... trying to find one person is like searching for a needle in a haystack..."
Wan Wushuangâs gorgeous eyes shimmered in thought.
.......
Giant Whale Immortal City.
The Zhang Family, one of the Five Great Clans.
In the grand hall stood forty to fifty people dressed in black. At the front, a tall, thin young man looked terrifyingly grim.
"Junior Brother Xuan, the tracking shows that the fiend went east!"
"Letâs head that way!"
At this moment, a black-clad man beside the young man cupped his fists and said solemnly.
This black-robed man radiated a powerful auraâat Foundation Establishment Eighth Layer!
Beside him stood another black-robed figure, face hidden behind an iron mask, silently vigilantâhe was Foundation Establishment Eighth Layer as well!
"Eastâthatâs the direction of Yu Kunâs Cave Mansion. Looks like the murderer went there!"
"Once I get him, Iâll grind him to dustâto honor my big brotherâs spirit in heaven!"
Xuan Guâs eyes burned with rage. Flipping his sleeve, he turned to Tie Ying and Tie Chou, saying, "Senior Brothers, weâre in Yanyue Immortal Sectâs territory. Weâd better stay careful while trackingâno need to be too flashy."
"Junior Brother Xuan, of course."
Tie Ying nodded. "No more delays, letâs go!"
"Mm!"
Xuan Gu nodded, then dashed off with his two Foundation Establishment Eighth Layer senior brothers.
......
By Celestial Wave River.
Inside a nondescript cliffside cave mansion.
Golden Bell Shield, Twelfth Gate (Perfection).
Lin Changâsheng eyed his status panel, the red notification popping up, a look of satisfaction on his face. "Golden Bell Shield at lastâTwelfth Gate complete!"
All this way, Lin Changâsheng kept grinding away, and finally today, he perfected the Twelfth Gate of Golden Bell Shield.
Meanwhileâ
Lin Changâsheng felt his bones crackling all over, a rush of immense strength sweeping through his body!
And now, whenever he activated Golden Bell Shield, a faint golden glow appeared over his skinâhard as steel when firm, soft as cotton when relaxed. Blades and bullets couldnât pierce, neither fire nor water could hurt!
A feeling of utter lightness suffused his entire body!
Without using magical power, Lin Changâsheng left the cave mansion, leaped into the rolling river below!
He realized that his body, at will, floated down as light as a feather. In moments, his feet touched the surging waves of the river!
Lin Changâsheng strode atop the wavesâhe found he could sprint atop the surging river without sinking!
"My flesh is steel now. Back at Eleven Gates, there was still half an inch of vulnerability. Now itâs flawlessânot a crack left! Wonder if I can take a hit from a Peak Qi Refining Ninth Layerâs Magical Artifact?"
Lin Changâsheng clenched his fists, knocking them together with a boom, secretly musing.
According to the Golden Bell Shield recordsâ
Perfecting the Twelfth Gate, all vulnerabilities vanish, his body becomes the Vajra Indestructible Bodyâblades and swords, fire and flood, five hundred days without sleep or food, even swallowing deadly poison could not harm himâhis spirit shines on!
"Golden Bell Shield, Twelfth Gate achieved. My bodyâs harder than steelâI feel a little safer again!"
"I should try to get more Body Refinement techniques, see if I can fuse them in later?"
Lin Changâsheng felt pretty pleased.
[Detected: Cultivation Immortality TechniquesâFive Elements Pure Yang Technique (Perfection), Cyan Wood Essence Locking Technique (Perfection), Celestial Ghost Essence Condensing Technique (Perfection), can consume 300 Spirit Stones to fuse into a new cultivation technique. Fuse?]
[Detected: TechniquesâGolden Bell Shield (Twelfth Gate Perfection), Barbarian Blood TechniqueâFragment (Sixth Variation Perfection), can consume 150 Spirit Stones to fuse into a new technique. Fuse?]
[Detected: Body TechniqueâWind and Thunder Movement (Perfection), Ghost Dao Hurricane Scroll (Perfection), can consume 200 Spirit Stones to fuse into a new Light Body Technique. Fuse?]
[Detected: Magic TechniqueâTaiyin Formless Slash (Perfection), Ghost Dao Sword Technique (Perfection), can consume 200 Spirit Stones to fuse into a new magic technique. Fuse?]
Just then, four red notifications popped up on Lin Changâshengâs panel.
"Fuse!"
"Fuse them all!"
Lin Changâsheng clicked to confirm right away.
[Cultivation Immortality TechniqueâFive Elements Pure Yang Technique (Perfection), Cyan Wood Essence Locking Technique (Perfection), Celestial Ghost Essence Condensing Technique (Perfection), fusing... Fusion successful... Obtained Five Elements Soul Refining Technique]
[Cultivation Immortality TechniqueâWind and Thunder Movement (Perfection), Ghost Dao Hurricane Scroll (Perfection), fusing... Fusion successful... Obtained Light Body TechniqueâThree Thousand Thunder Moves!]
[TechniqueâGolden Bell Shield (Twelfth Gate Perfection), Barbarian Blood TechniqueâFragment (Sixth Variation Perfection), fusing... Fusion successful... Obtained Vajra Indestructible Body!]
[Magic TechniqueâTaiyin Formless Slash (Perfection), Ghost Dao Sword Technique (Perfection), fusing... Fusion successful... Obtained Invisible Celestial Blade!]
"Five Elements Soul Refining Technique?"
"Three Thousand Thunder Moves!"
"Vajra Indestructible Body?"
"Invisible Celestial Blade!"
"The names sound pretty awesome. Wonder how strong they really are?"
Staring at the four newly fused techniques, magic, and body techniques, Lin Changâshengâs eyes glimmered with anticipation.
Lin Changâsheng willed his status panel to appear.
[Great Dao is Simple: Foundation Establishment Level]
[Lin Changâsheng: 22/273]
[Cultivation: Foundation Establishment Stage (2nd Layer 1999/2000)]
[Cultivation Technique: Five Elements Soul Refining Technique (Entry Level 0/1000), Vajra Indestructible Body (Entry Level 0/1000)]
[Magic Technique: Invisible Celestial Blade (Entry Level 0/1000), Meteor Fire Rain (Perfection)]
[Light Body Technique: Three Thousand Thunder Moves (Entry Level 0/1000), Bone Transformation Technique (Perfection)]
[Alchemy: Divine Essence Pill (Perfection), Foundation Establishment Pill (Perfection)]
[Puppet: Copper Corpse (Foundation Establishment Level 2)]
[Consume Spirit Stones to simplify techniques, magic, divine powers, etc.]
[Status: Ghost Dao Tracking]
"Mm, not bad. Time to head for Liuyun Immortal Sect!"
Seeing Ghost Dao Tracking lit up on his panel, Lin Changâsheng tensed. Heâd been here too longâtime to bail. If Demon Cultivators tracked him down, heâd be screwed.
With that,
Lin Changâsheng immediately flew atop his blade, hugging the treetops and groundânever daring to fly high and draw attention.
.......
Liuyun Immortal Sect.
Sect Leaderâs Hall.
"Yu Kun Divine Monarchâs legacy was snatched by a mere Qi Refining Ninth Layer alchemist? Howâs that possible?!"
"That Jiang Yukun Divine Monarch was famed as the strongest Golden Coreâno way a Qi Refining cultivator could even get into his cave mansion! Unless... this person concealed his cultivation!"
Dressed in white, Su Changkong stared into the distance, brow deeply furrowed.
"Sadly, right now that alchemistâs shadow is nowhere to be seen! The whole Southern Realm is searchingâno news at all! Even the info from Celestial Lake City is from before the legacy was seized!"
Master of Myriad Laws was frustrated as hell.
Heâd paid a hefty price to uncover who stole Yu Kunâs legacy, but got nothing for it!
That Celestial Yang Wanderer used Retrospection Technique, only to suffer a fierce backlash. His cultivation dropped straight from Middle Stage Nascent Soul to Early Stageâno one expected that.
"Looks like this Alchemist Zhang Han is using a fake name. Finding himâs gonna be tough!"
"Last time, Lin Changâsheng seized the Heaven and Earth Qi and vanished. Now, this Zhang HanâAlchemist Zhangâtook Yu Kun Divine Monarchâs legacy and disappeared as well!"
Su Changkong sighed deeply.
"Sect Leader, what worries me most is this Alchemist Zhang Hanâheâs a Demon Cultivator! If Demon Dao gets their hands on the Refining God Skill, our Righteous Dao might..."
Master of Myriad Lawsâ eyes were clouded by heavy worry.
"Mm, Righteous and Demon are about to battleâwe must keep searching for whoever stole Yu Kunâs legacy!"
Su Changkong said with a deep voice.
........
One month later.
Within Liuyun Immortal Sect territory.
Atop a mountain peak.
Lin Changâsheng stopped flying.
He rememberedâthe cave up ahead was where heâd run into Murong Tian.
Thatâs where Liuyun Immortal Sectâs disciples trained.
Nowâ
Thirty miles from Lin Changâshengâs locationâ
In a valley filled with green boulders,
A youth with sharp features and thin lips, dressed in Liuyun Immortal Robes, at Qi Refining Fourth Layer, gripped a Lower Grade Spiritual Sword, teaming up with three peers to attack a two-zhang long iron-scaled giant lizard.
The giant lizard was jet-black and covered in scales, glimmering ominously in the sun.
Fireball Technique and Sword Aura blasted endlessly at its body, but the giant lizard shrieked and charged the four Liuyun Immortal Sect disciples.
Just then,
From a farther cave, an even larger, longer iron-scaled lizard stormed out, lunging at them!
"Damn!"
"Brothersâscatter and run!"
The chubby leader bellowed, spun and bolted. The other three split up with their body techniques, fleeing in all directions as the giant lizards charged after them.
"Whew~~~ made it out alive!"
Yu Xiaochang sprinted thirty miles, panting with hands braced on his Lower Grade Spiritual Sword, cold sweat soaking his back. Heâd just witnessed Junior Brother Li get ripped in half by that giant lizard!
Surviving encounters like that out hereâhe considered himself lucky.
"Eh? Is that... Yu Xiaochang?"
Behind a huge rock on the mountaintop, Lin Changâsheng had already detected the Liuyun Immortal Sect disciple rushing by, seemingly fleeing for his life. He suddenly realized he recognized the guyâafter pondering a moment, he remembered: it was King Qi of Great Yu, Yu Xiaochang!
The same guy whoâd tried multiple times to kill him!
"Well, isnât this perfect!"
"So many grudgesâtime to settle âem!"
Lin Changâsheng stepped out from behind the rock, staring at Yu Xiaochang. "Yu Xiaochang, recognize me?"
"Uh... Senior Brother, youâre..."
When Lin Changâsheng walked out from behind the rock, Yu Xiaochangâs eyes widened in panicâhe hadnât noticed anyone there at all. This guy even knew him?
But he didnât know this man at all!
"Maybe you donât know me, but I sure know you!"
Lin Changâsheng swept his Divine Sense through tens of miles, confirming no one else was around. He stared at Yu Xiaochang, letting out a cold laugh.
Heâd been racking his brain about who to disguise himself as to sneak into Liuyun Immortal Sectâand now, fate delivered his old enemy, Yu Xiaochang. Perfect. Heâd take Yuâs identity and play it safe inside the sect for a while.
Once his cultivation rose higher, heâd slip out for good.
"S-senior Brother, Iâve never met you before?"
Yu Xiaochang tensed up, backing off several steps, clutching that Lower Grade Spiritual Sword tightly.
He couldnât see through the young manâs cultivation at all.
Right now, that sword gave him his only sense of security.
"Still donât recognize me?"
Lin Changâsheng curled his lips into a cold sneer, laughed slyly, and his form shifted back to his own true face!
"You!... How is it you!"
"Youâre actually not dead!"
Seeing Lin Changâsheng reveal his true face, Yu Xiaochang was scared shitlessâhe stumbled backwards, tried to run, and panicked so badly he forgot to use his body technique!
This past yearâ
Yu Xiaochangâs biggest fear was Lin Changâsheng would come back.
He dreaded running into Lin Changâsheng while out on a training mission. Once he heard Lin had stolen the Heaven and Earth Qi and was being hunted, he gradually relaxed.
So much time passedâhe figured Lin Changâsheng had probably been killed by Demon Cultivators, or died out in the wild. Thatâs why he dared to come out on missions.
Whoâd have thoughtâ
Lin Changâsheng actually tracked him down.