Chapter 731 - 245: Divine Fragment, Comprehending the Rules, and Peering into the Heaven and Earth Origin!_4

There was no one near the mountain valley.

Lu Changsheng frowned.

He immediately sent a transmission, saying he had already arrived at the agreed location.

Then, Lu Changsheng found a spot and quietly waited.

In the blink of an eye, a few days passed.

"Swish."

Finally, there was some movement outside the valley.

An old man with crane-like hair and a ruddy complexion appeared in the valley.

"Where is Fellow Daoist Lu?"

The old man called out loudly.

"Might you be Fellow Daoist Xuan Yang?"

Lu Changsheng revealed himself.

He stared at the old man. Based on his understanding of immortal cultivators, this man was most likely one of them.

"Holy Alliance, Xuan Yang."

"Qingshan Holy Land, Lu Changsheng."

The Xuan Yang True Monarch Lu Changsheng contacted was, in fact, a liaison from Qingshan Holy Land.

So naturally, Lu Changsheng represented Qingshan Holy Land.

After all, he did now count as an elder of Qingshan Holy Land.

"Fellow Daoist Lu, please follow me."

The two did not waste words.

Lu Changsheng immediately followed behind Xuan Yang True Monarch.

Neither used their extraordinary powers, relying solely on their physical strength and dashing madly through the mountains.

Soon, they entered a different valley, which contained an underground passage.

After traversing the passage for an unknown amount of time, they emerged on the other side.

A vast expanse came into view.

"This place is..."

Lu Changsheng was filled with suspicion.

This place was enormous.

Moreover, Nascent Soul True Monarchs and Martial Saints all around were wantonly releasing their auras and powers without concern, as if unafraid of being detected by the divine beings.

Xuan Yang True Monarch smiled and said, "This is one of the Holy Alliance Branches. Here, we have Array Flags and Magical Treasures gifted by Heavenly Saints or void transformation-level experts. These form a sealed Great Array, ensuring no aura leaks out."

"Thus, within the Holy Alliance Branch, you don’t need to restrain your aura and can use any power freely."

Lu Changsheng understood.

Heavenly Saint-level or void transformation-level Magical Treasures were capable of blocking all auras.

Even divine beings could not spy.

Of course, transporting such treasures here certainly wasn’t easy and would have required a hefty price.

But for the Holy Alliance to establish branches, it was undoubtedly tied to the Heavenly Saints and void transformation cultivators.

"Fellow Daoist Lu, in the Holy Alliance Branch, everyone must swear upon their Dao Heart not to reveal any information or location about the branch."

Swearing upon one’s Dao Heart meant that if one broke the oath, certain obstacles would manifest in cultivation, causing it to become unsmooth.

Of course, some people were entirely unbothered by this.

This ultimately varied from person to person.

If one truly wanted to divulge secrets, there were still ways.

In any case, it was merely a formality.

The Holy Alliance had survived to this day certainly not because of everyone keeping their Dao Heart oaths.

Nevertheless, Lu Changsheng abided by the rules. He swore by his Dao Heart never to reveal any information or location related to the Holy Alliance Branch.

"Fellow Daoist Lu, the Holy Alliance is a place where martial and immortal Dao practitioners exchange information. You can cooperate with any fellow Daoist or refuse, but within the Holy Alliance, private fights are forbidden. If there is any conflict, it can only be resolved in the arena, where life or death is irrelevant."

"Remember, never act privately. Otherwise, you’ll be expelled from the Holy Alliance."

"Also, the Holy Alliance imposes no mandatory measures."

After saying this, Xuan Yang True Monarch took his leave.

Lu Changsheng understood.

The Holy Alliance served as a base for martial artists and immortal cultivators.

It allowed them a foothold in the Divine Domain, preventing them from struggling bitterly to survive or being constantly hunted down.

Clearly, this was undoubtedly the doing of the Heavenly Saints and void transformation-level experts.

Back when the Heavenly Saints and void transformation powerhouses drove the divine beings into the Divine Domain, it was hardly surprising that they had also established bases there.

Lu Changsheng wasn’t in a hurry to seek out a divine being.

Instead, he wandered through the Holy Alliance, gaining an understanding of its workings.

After about three to five days, Lu Changsheng had mostly figured it out.

The Holy Alliance mainly focused on information and intelligence exchanges.

For instance, someone might know the specifics of a certain divine being.

Then they would invite Martial Saints or Nascent Soul cultivators to form a group and hunt it down.

Allocations and arrangements would be pre-determined.

Of course, most such hunts targeted divine beings at the Human Saint Level.

That is to say, True Gods.

As for Divine Kings?

Few dared to hunt them.

After all, Divine Kings were akin to Earth Saints!

Martial artists and immortal cultivators could use fragments of divine beings, and those of a Divine King would undeniably yield the best results.

It was said that a fragment of a Divine King could allow one to perceive the Rules with great clarity, thus mastering them.

But for Human Saint-level cultivators to target Earth Saint-level Divine Kings?

That was far too risky.

A single mistake could mean total annihilation.

Of course, for Lu Changsheng, it wasn’t necessary.

With his comprehension, the fragments of ordinary True Gods were sufficient for him to gain insight into the Rules.

There was no need for Divine King fragments.

Still, Lu Changsheng didn’t want to form a team.

Teamwork carried inherent risks.

There was always the possibility of betrayal.

Even with oaths, they weren’t reliable.

Greed could sway the hearts of men.

Lu Changsheng preferred buying True God leads and acting alone.

Even if the cost was slightly higher, it didn’t matter.

However, there were also risks—significant ones.

What if the intelligence wasn’t accurate?

What if the target wasn’t a True God but a Divine King instead?

Or what if there was a Divine King near the divine being mentioned in the intelligence?

Making a move could easily lead to one falling into a trap, a guaranteed death sentence.

Thus, while there were people selling True God intelligence, few dared to buy it.

Only those willing to take risks would make the purchase.

Lu Changsheng noticed a Martial Saint.

The person had been selling a piece of intelligence for some time.

"You’ve got intelligence on a specific True God’s location?"

Lu Changsheng asked.

"I have."

"What do you want in exchange?"

"If you manage to obtain two or more divine fragments, just give me one. If there’s only one, it’s all yours."

This Martial Saint was quite direct.

"Is the intelligence reliable?"

"Absolutely! There are no Divine Kings nearby. The closest one would need at least half an hour to get here."

"Half an hour should be enough, right?"

Lu Changsheng weighed the situation briefly.

From the moment of attacking to killing the True God, half an hour was indeed sufficient.

There would even be ample time to retreat.

On the surface, this sounded promising.

But the accuracy of the intelligence was crucial.

Lu Changsheng couldn’t trust this Martial Saint.

"I can agree to your terms, but I have one condition of my own."

"You’ll have to accompany me to find the True God. You don’t need to fight and can blend into the crowd, but you must stay with me—no fleeing."

"If you dare to run, I’ll kill you!"

Lu Changsheng said coldly.

"Hmm?"

The person’s expression shifted.

"You’re going alone, not assembling a team?"

The Martial Saint seemed to catch the implications of Lu Changsheng’s words and asked hesitantly.

"Yes, I’m going alone."

Lu Changsheng admitted openly.

"You’re going alone to hunt a True God..."

The Martial Saint’s sharp gaze fixed on Lu Changsheng.

Having been in the Holy Alliance for a long time, he knew the significance of someone hunting a True God alone.

Such a person was either a madman or outrageously powerful, confident in their ability to handle a True God single-handedly.

People like that were almost always Earth Saint contenders.

Their chances of ascending to Earth Saint status were immensely high.

"Give me some time to think it over."

The Martial Saint hesitated.

"Three days. I’ll give you only three days."

"Decide by then,"

Lu Changsheng said before turning and leaving.

He knew this Martial Saint was reluctant to take risks.

They preferred providing a lead and then quietly waiting in the Holy Alliance.

But good fortune like that was never so easy to come by.

No one would risk their life over a mere lead and then hand over the spoils—divine fragments—to the seller.

If selling leads were so effortless, the seller wouldn’t be stuck in the Holy Alliance branch for so long without making a deal.

Lu Changsheng was confident.

The Martial Saint would most likely agree.

Time passed day by day.

Soon, three days were up.

Lu Changsheng once again approached the Martial Saint.

"What’s your decision?"

Lu Changsheng cast him a glance.

It was obvious the Martial Saint hadn’t sold the lead in these three days.

The Martial Saint took a deep breath before solemnly saying, "Alright, I agree to your terms. I’ll accompany you."

"But I won’t intervene. If it looks like you might lose, I’ll run at the first opportunity."

Lu Changsheng smiled.

"No problem."

So long as the Martial Saint agreed to join him, it was unlikely the lead was false.

This intelligence was probably real!

"However, I don’t trust your strength."

"Let’s go to the arena. Show me your abilities. I need to see if you’re qualified to hunt a True God on your own."

The unfamiliar Martial Saint’s gaze flashed with a sharp glint.

He had no intention of accompanying an ordinary Martial Saint on a suicide mission.

"As you wish."

Lu Changsheng nodded and agreed.

Thus, the two headed straight for the arena.