Chapter 129: Breakthrough: Late Stage of Shedding the Body!

In the next few days, a large group of cultists withdrew one after another, hiding again in the shadows.

In this Fu Long Town offensive‑defensive battle, the county's official forces achieved a decisive victory.

After this battle, the cultists did not attack other towns again, but instead calmed down.

However, everyone in the authorities knows this is probably the calm before the storm.

The final clash between the two sides draws ever nearer.

The atmosphere throughout Changping County becomes increasingly eerie.

Outside Changping County.

A dim underground space.

Zhao Yuanjing sits upright on the chair, her face full of murderous aura.

Ahead stands a massive, black‑swathed group of cult strongmen.

The atmosphere on the stage is extremely oppressive; none of the audience dares to speak.

They all know that because of the mysterious strongman, their Lord is already in a raging state, and no one wants to tempt that bad luck.

"Lord, shall we still follow the original plan?"

Lei Yunfang, with his skin hardening, stepped forward, his face full of respect.

Thinking that even the Lord himself cannot achieve merit by chasing that mysterious person, and that they cannot defeat him, is understandable.

"No need to waste effort attacking the town any longer; this person appears and disappears, launches endless raids, and no one can withstand…"

Murderous intent flashes in Zhao Yuanjing's eyes.

Even she cannot slay the opponent, which fills her with extreme apprehension.

The original plan to sweep all towns has become impossible; for the first time she finds a warrior troublesome, whose speed is truly too fast, unmatched throughout Changping County.

"You all go to Black Mountain, fully cooperate with the Black Mountain bandits to forge a checkpoint; I will turn this place into a meat grinder for those people…"

While speaking, she scans the whole room, her tone extremely cold.

"Lord's command."

Everyone repeatedly bows their hands, faces full of awe.

They have long known that Black Mountain is the final battlefield for both sides.

The mountain is easy to defend but hard to attack; moreover, the Black Mountain bandits have operated for centuries, making it as solid as an iron barrel.

Furthermore, the Lord likely has a backup plan, making the chance of victory very high.

Then many cult strongmen turn and slowly exit the great hall.

Zhao Yuanjing gazes into the void ahead, her eyes lingering.

"I await you at Black Mountain…"

……

Time drifts slowly, and a month passes in a blink.

At noon, within an exquisite courtyard.

Lu Zhangsheng, clad in a white robe, sits upright on a stone chair in the courtyard, warm sunlight pouring all around him, as if draping him in a golden halo.

He lifts a wine jar, gulps down a mouthful of spirit wine, and waves of warmth rise from his abdomen.

He exudes an air of carefree ease.

During this period, Lu Zhangsheng has been practicing martial arts at home, ignoring the outside clamor.

Even invitations from Tong Yuhua and others to undertake a mission were outright rejected by him.

Since those demons have hidden deeper, he is too lazy to search, content to wait for the final showdown.

With his own strength, he can protect himself.

Besides training in the day, Lu Zhangsheng goes at night to the Hundred‑Thousand Great Mountains to excavate Spiritual Creatures.

Through his relentless effort, his Source Energy Points become abundant again.

At this pace, it should not be long before he can advance his realm again.

Just as Lu Zhangsheng enjoys his long‑awaited peaceful life, many warriors throughout Changping County secretly search for the mysterious strongman's trail.

The cause is that Wei Shaoxuan and three FuduDianZhu of the DemonSubduingOffice openly declared that the person is absent inside.

This deepened everyone's doubt; after years of searching, no useful information was found.

Moreover, carefully reviewing the opponent's years‑long growth path left everyone deeply shocked.

To become a top‑tier strongman in Changping County within just a few years is a talent that ranks among the highest in the entire Great Zhou.

In an instant, this mysterious strongman became the object of pursuit for countless warriors in the city.

His reputation even spread throughout Qingning Prefecture.

……

Night, silent as water.

Lu Zhangsheng lies quietly on the bed, opening the panel.

Source Energy Points: 2100.

He is still far from attaining the immortal golden body, so he plans to command a Pangolin to accelerate progress.

The situation is urgent; a great battle could erupt at any moment, and only great strength can give him peace of mind.

A thought stirs.

A wisp of thought is poured into the Pangolin's body.

Looking around, it is still a stone‑filled cavern, the air tinged with a faint moss scent.

He immediately swings his twin claws, digging swiftly toward the forward cave.

Since ascending to Sixth‑Tier Mountain Lord, his claws' sharpness has surged dramatically.

The stone slab before him was as soft as tofu, easily shaved off.

Even refined iron cannot block his steps.

Clang clang clang…

All that remained around was Lu Zhangsheng's digging sounds; as he went deeper into the Hundred‑Thousand Great Mountains, the resources gradually grew richer.

He kept digging all the way, until after more than half a day.

Lu Zhangsheng had just reached a corner of a cave entrance when he suddenly felt a jolt of spirit, and a rush of cool air hit his face.

There's a situation!

His complexion changed slightly.

This aura was clearly an anomaly produced by a Spiritual Creature; after years of exploring the deep mountains, he was all too familiar with it.

Lu Zhangsheng no longer hesitated and rushed out along the passage.

Clang clang…

He kept digging until he reached a massive rock wall, then stopped.

He looked up at the milky‑white rock wall before him, his eyes flickering.

The entire wall was quite large, radiating a jade‑white luster; upon approaching it, he felt an instant coolness.

Is this a higher‑grade Primordial Stone?

Lu Zhangsheng was not quite sure.

He immediately kicked his legs, leapt to the front of the wall, and clambered up with his claws.

【Discovered high‑grade Primordial Stone, collect?】

A crisp Prompt Sound rang through his mind.

Collect.

Lu Zhangsheng was quite pleased; he had never seen so many high‑grade Primordial Stones before.

As long as he could collect them all, it would greatly advance his cultivation.

【Source Energy Points +10.】

【Source Energy Points +10.】

…

As the high‑grade Primordial Stones on the wall dwindled, his resources surged rapidly.

A moment later.

Ahead, the massive rock wall was left with only a deep pit, surrounded by a pile of debris.

Open the panel.

Source Energy Points: 5800.

This haul was enormous; even if he only mined some ordinary Primordial Stones from now on, three months would be enough for him to breakthrough his cultivation.

Lu Zhangsheng's heart was filled with vigor.

Just as he was about to set off again, a sudden disturbance came from a side cave entrance.

Several shadow serpents suddenly burst from the entrance, charging at Lu Zhangsheng.

They all gaped their blood‑filled maws, exuding terrifying killing aura.

Lu Zhangsheng's face turned cold, and he kicked his legs, immediately rushing out.

These past days, he had often encountered these shadow serpents, slaying batch after batch.

This place belongs to the enemy's territory, and with the snake clan's astonishing reproduction, there are also many powerful aberrant beasts.

Hoo hoo hoo…

In an instant, the two sides collided.

Lu Zhangsheng turned into an afterimage, darting through the swarm of snakes like lightning; each claw swipe left a cold glint flashing in the void, terrifying.

Aooo…

Accompanied by wailing cries, each giant snake had its head severed, falling into pools of blood.

Soon, the ground was left with a multitude of snake corpses.

With Lu Zhangsheng's sixth‑tier strength, killing a few fifth‑rank aberrant beasts was almost instantaneous.

Boom boom boom…

At this moment, from the far end of the cave, an extremely angry roar echoed as a massive snake head burst out, its eyes blood‑red and chilling.

A sixth‑tier pinnacle shadow serpent?

Lu Zhangsheng's expression shifted slightly.

The aura of this beast was far stronger than the one he had slain last time.

He feared the seventh tier was not far off.

"Kill." Lu Zhangsheng did not dare to delay, lunging forward with all his might.

In an instant, he reached the snake's head, twisted sharply to evade a lethal strike, then thrust his sharp claws at the head.

Aooo aooo aooo…

Wailing cries echoed throughout the cavern, accompanied by sparks flying everywhere, leaving deep marks on the scales.

The giant snake, in pain, immediately lunged out, charging at Lu Zhangsheng.

Bang bang bang…

Both sides fought a relentless blood battle inside the cave; the massive stone overhead soon collapsed, and dust and smoke swirled in a chaotic mess.

Lu Zhangsheng relied on his speed and agility, firmly keeping the opponent at a disadvantage.

No matter how it roared, it could not change its declining situation.

As time passed, an hour later, the giant serpent's momentum had also waned considerably.

Lu Zhangsheng knew the moment had arrived.

He no longer hesitated, instantly activating 【Soul Pain Strike】; a bizarre radiance surged toward the serpent's head, instantly vanishing into its mind.

"Aoo…"

The giant serpent rolled wildly inside the cave, wailing repeatedly.

Strike while it is weakened, take its life.

Lu Zhangsheng again activated 【Godslayer】; a strange black vortex instantly appeared above his head.

Immediately, the soul in the giant serpent's mind was pulled out, struggling toward the vortex.

In the blink of an eye, it vanished into the vortex.

"Zzz…"

As the giant serpent's soul was crushed, strands of cool air surged into Lu Zhangsheng's mind.

A moment later, Lu Zhangsheng felt his own soul inexplicably expand a bit.

Indeed, this innate divine skill is sufficiently bizarre.

If in the future he absorbs massive powerful Exotic Beast souls, the mental power of this Exotic Beast Clone will only grow stronger.

Afterward, Lu Zhangsheng gathered up the corpse on the ground and set out again on his journey to collect Spiritual Creatures.

……

Three months later.

Late at night, the moon and stars were sparse.

Lu Zhangsheng, clad in a white robe, stood in the center of the courtyard, his Qi and blood surging.

He opened the panel.

A blue light screen appeared in the void ahead.

Source Energy Points: 8900.

After months of strenuous digging, he finally amassed the required resource points.

Seeing the plus sign behind the Immortal Golden Body light up again, he wore a delighted expression.

"Add point."

Lu Zhangsheng did not hesitate, instantly moving toward the Immortal Golden Body point.

As the Source Energy Points dropped by eight thousand, a miraculous wave instantly descended into the depths of his mind, as if an unparalleled master were training day and night.

"Boom boom boom…"

His internal Qi and blood erupted wildly, emitting a series of howling sounds, endless like rolling waves.

【After years of arduous cultivation, the Immortal Golden Body has finally reached the Great Completion Realm.】

A crisp Prompt Sound rang, marking the perfect conclusion of this upgrade.

Lu Zhangsheng slowly opened his eyes, a flash of brilliance passing through them.

An extremely powerful sensation surged to his heart.

He clenched his fist, his whole body filled with a sense of power, as if he could shatter the void ahead.

With this realm advancement, his strength more than doubled.

At this moment, after years, he finally stood at the pinnacle of Changping County.

Even if Zhao Yuanjing, that demoness, descends, he is confident he can suppress her.

The last time they clashed, he could only barely hold his ground; a slight slip would have meant his downfall.

The next time he meets her, he will certainly give her a huge surprise.

From now on, he only needs to systematically upgrade his skills to Great Completion and await the decisive battle.

Then he will know what this woman's ultimate purpose is.

Lu Zhangsheng will definitely devise every possible way to thwart her scheme.

While Lu Zhangsheng lay in wait at home, the external situation grew increasingly turbulent.

A large number of cult strongmen gathered at Black Mountain, even openly constructing forts and works; the authorities also prepared actively, distributing armor and crossbows, and the Xuan Armor Army began day‑and‑night drills.

Inside the County Office, a grand hall.

Qin Ruobing and two other FuduDianZhu, together with Du Wentao, sat upright on chairs, all wearing solemn expressions.

"County Lord, when shall we leave the city to eradicate demons, evils, and bandits?"

Qin Ruobing spoke lightly, her tone very gentle.

"In one year, the entire army will mobilize to exterminate all cultists and Black Mountain bandits."

Du Wentao wore a face of authority.

At this moment, he had already waited for decades.

The support from the prefectural city was also arriving; it was time to settle matters with the opponent.

"Recently, the DemonSubduingOffice of the prefectural city sent a letter; soon a selection for FuduDianZhu will be held…"

HeChunlin frowned.

His two ZhenYaosi had been preparing for a long time, and could barely take part in the assessment.

"No problem, there is plenty of time; after the assessment is completed, we will immediately commence the decisive battle."

Du Wentao took a sip of tea, smiling.

Qin Ruobing, however, remained silent.

The two under her likely have no hope of passing.

In her view, to become a FuduDianZhu, one must at least possess Transcendent-level combat power; otherwise it is impossible.

XiaoTiansi's corner of the mouth twitched ever so slightly.

In this generation, he has not even a single competent subordinate.

After several Patrol Envoys fell in battle, he gave up long ago and simply opened the market.

This matter is completely unrelated to him.

"Then we shall follow Lord Du's words."

HeChunlin's mouth curled up a bit, his pride impossible to conceal.

In his view, the position of FuduDianZhu in this generation would inevitably arise under his command.

Cultivating a FuduDianZhu would also bring him great benefit.

Afterwards, the few of them chatted briefly again, then each rose and left.

……

Time flew by.

In the blink of an eye, two months passed.

That night, deep midnight, all was silent.

Lu Zhangsheng stood in the center of the courtyard, the bright moonlight scattering around him as if cloaking him in silver radiance.

Open the panel.

Source Energy Points: 5500.

After months of excavation, his resources were once again abundant.

All the plus signs behind the skills lit up.

Lu Zhangsheng no longer hesitated, repeatedly clicking the three major skills.

"Buzz… "

A series of buzzing sounds rang in his mind, like evening drums and morning bells striking, his whole body exuding a mysterious rhythm.

【After your years of arduous cultivation, a sky‑splitting strike, a single reed crossing the river, the Protective Xuan Gang has finally cultivated to the Great Completion Realm.】

As a crisp Prompt Sound rang, this upgrade concluded perfectly.

Lu Zhangsheng gripped his long sword tightly and slashed forward with a single stroke.

"Whoosh… "

A dazzling cold blade of light appeared in the void, its momentum extremely fierce.

Immediately after, he swung his body, vanishing in an instant into the night; only afterimages remained in the courtyard, interwoven with endless sword light, causing dread.

After this breakthrough, his speed and sword‑technique power were further enhanced.

For this decisive battle, Lu Zhangsheng felt even more confidence.

Then he abruptly activated his Protective Gang Qi.

"Sizzle… "

A pure white Gang Qi instantly spread over his whole body, shimmering with phosphorescent light, quite marvelous.

He raised his long sword and struck fiercely at the Protective Gang Qi.

"Boom Boom Boom… "

The intense booming echoed throughout, yet the Protective Gang Qi remained as steady as Mount Tai, not a ripple stirred.

"What a strong defense power."

Lu Zhangsheng's expression shifted slightly.

After this upgrade, his defense power increased by more than double.

Zhao Yuanjing, that demoness, will probably no longer be able to easily shatter his Protective Gang Qi as she did last time.

Even if surrounded by numerous transcended perfect cultivators, with such Gang Qi he remains unafraid.

(End of Chapter)