Chapter 178: Breakthrough to Innate Perfection!

Heaven Sword Sect.

Central Main Peak, Golden Cauldron Hall.

As the premier sect that has dominated Qingning Prefecture for hundreds of years, the Heaven Sword Sect has a total of nine main peaks, which together encircle the Central Sword Peak.

The nine peaks rely on the grand formation and the earth veins, connecting them together.

This formation is called the Nine Luminaries Terrestrial Origin Grand Formation, and its power is quite formidable.

Relying on this top-tier formation, the Heaven Sword Sect has survived multiple sect-ending crises.

At this moment, several men and women in splendid attire sat upright in the hall.

Their auras were heavily suppressed.

In the middle sat a black-clad old man with white hair and beard, a slender build—none other than the Heaven Sword Sect's current ancestor, Heaven Sword Ancestor Wan Qingyun.

"Wan Brother, this person truly does not know the height of heaven and depth of earth, daring to speak of attacking our sect."

The ancestor of Thundercloud Valley, Qiu Jichen, wore a icy expression.

He was tall and sturdy, his whole body exuding killing intent.

As the figure second only to the Heaven Sword Ancestor among the Six Great Sects, his temper was also the most explosive.

Upon hearing that the current chief of the Demon Subduing Office's main hall intended to act against the sect, he directly rushed to the Heaven Sword Sect together with several other ancestors.

They still understood the principle of "when the lips are gone, the teeth feel the cold."

"Good, in this battle we will surely give our all and strike them hard."

A middle-aged beautiful woman likewise spoke in agreement.

Her tone was extremely icy.

Although most of the Hundred Flowers Sect's members are women, their strength is not weak either.

As the current ancestor of the Hundred Flowers Sect, Liu Yuning will absolutely not allow the sect to be breached by the imperial court.

"Hmph… I will turn this place into the imperial court's meat grinder."

"You need not worry; as long as the imperial court dispatches a grand master, other holy lands and top-tier great sects will certainly take action."

"We only need to defeat Lu Zhangsheng."

Heaven Sword Ancestor Wan Qingyun's eyes flashed with killing intent.

Upon hearing this, they also wore confident expressions.

Some even began to look forward to it, for this battle they would usher in a brand-new era.

"The era of sect-governed peace is truly something to look forward to."

"Since the imperial court has already rotted, let it collapse in a mighty crash."

……

At noon, the sunshine was bright.

Inside a splendid courtyard.

Lu Zhangsheng was basking in the warm sunshine, sipping spiritual wine, quite leisurely.

Fang Qing and her brother accompanied him.

However, their faces were filled with worry.

"Zhangsheng, should we ask Junior Sister Ruoshui to go to the Capital City for aid?"

Fang Qing's eyes showed deep worry.

In her view, directly waging a decisive battle against the Six Great Sects is undoubtedly an extremely risky move.

After these years of cultivation, the two have also become reborn martial artists.

Naturally, they know how terrifying such a great war can be.

If they are not careful, it will be a great defeat.

Even if Lu Zhangsheng's strength is astonishing, this battle is still extremely perilous.

"It's fine; I have my own plans."

Lu Zhangsheng gave a light smile, without further explanation.

Having the Capital City send strong cultivators over is hardly feasible.

This battle involves the whole body; these sects also have ties to the holy lands and top-tier great sects.

If Qingning Prefecture seeks aid, they obviously will not sit and wait for destruction.

By then, the scale will be too large for him to control.

He intends to sweep Qingning Prefecture with the speed of thunder before they can cover their ears, so those holy lands have no time to react.

Once an established fact is created, no one will be able to do anything to him.

Upon hearing that Lu Zhangsheng had made up his mind, Fang Qing and her brother's worried expressions never faded.

"Thud thud thud……"

Just then, footsteps came from the front gate.

Lu Zhangsheng and the others turned their heads to look.

All they saw was a white-clad woman of outstanding bearing walking over gracefully, her steps light as if she could step and produce lotuses.

The visitor was none other than Qin Ruoshui, the Marquis's legitimate daughter.

She had already been staying in Qingning Prefecture for a long time, often coming to find Lu Zhangsheng to drink and reminisce, with no intention of returning to the Capital City.

Qin Ruoshui was not polite either; she came to the table and sat down, then looked at Lu Zhangsheng with a worried expression and said:

"This battle is of great importance; do you have confidence?"

She never expected that Lu Zhangsheng would suddenly undertake such a major undertaking.

The relationship between the sect and the imperial court, maintaining this tacit understanding, has lasted for decades.

Both sides are extremely wary.

Lu Zhangsheng's arrival will break it, simply unbelievable.

At its height, the court also thought of suppressing all sects, but came to nothing, merely letting many holy places seal their mountains.

Now weakened, these sects and holy places have all raised their heads.

They even started colluding with Tianyao Gate's demons, becoming ever more overbearing.

"Opportunity?"

Lu Zhangsheng smiled lightly, picked up the cup and drank it in one go.

Warm currents rose in his abdomen.

Sticking to old ways is just a slow death; better to try a different way.

He has always believed that convincing people with "reason" is the kingly way.

Since those demons refuse to submit to royal edicts, then kill them.

As for the consequences of this battle, that's another matter.

Seeing that they couldn't persuade Lu Zhangsheng, Qin Ruoshui and a few others had to get up and leave worriedly.

……

As news of this battle began to spread throughout the Great Zhou.

Countless martial artists and people from sects and holy places are secretly paying attention.

Everyone wants to know whether it's the court suppressing the sects, or the sects defeating the court, and then a compromise.

At the same time, a large group of Tianyao Gate disciples also took action.

They began to gather within the sphere of influence of the Tianjian Sect.

For a time, Qingning Prefecture was filled with a strong smell of gunpowder, and a great battle could break out at any moment.

……

Capital City.

Prince Yong's Mansion.

Inside a magnificent hall.

Qin Chaoyang carefully examined the information in his hand, his brows furrowed.

"Ah... never mind, can only secretly send a few people."

In his opinion, Lu Zhangsheng has about a fifty percent chance to win.

This is already extremely risky.

If they suffer a crushing defeat, the consequences would be unimaginable; I didn't expect the other side to be so bold.

However, he actually appreciates this kind of behavior.

These past years, the court has been like a dead pool; it's time for a reform.

Qin Chaoyang also wants to see how big a wave this "true dragon" Lu Zhangsheng can stir up.

"Someone come."

He shouted lowly towards the shadow.

"Your subordinate is here."

A black-clothed man walked out from the darkness, kneeling respectfully on the ground.

"Go dispatch three innate perfection experts to support Lu Zhangsheng; if the other side fails, cover his escape from the encirclement, absolutely must not let him fall..."

"Remember, definitely use martial artists from Qingning Prefecture."

Qin Chaoyang's tone was gloomy.

"Subordinate obeys the order."

The man rose quickly and hid into the darkness.

Watching the man disappear, Qin Chaoyang softly sighed: "I can only do this much; everything else is up to you."

What he can do is only to, after Lu Zhangsheng's failure, do his utmost to preserve his life.

……

In the following days, Lu Zhangsheng stayed at home, fully preparing for battle.

The pangolin also continuously collected various spiritual creatures.

As a large amount of primordial crystal marrow was discovered, his resources surged rapidly.

Moreover, while excavating spiritual creatures, they also encountered some innate living beings; that group of strange beasts attacked like they had gone mad.

After he slew them all, they turned into Source Energy Points.

By relying on the two overlapping, Lu Zhangsheng's resource collection speed greatly increased.

That day, deep night.

Moonlight filled the sky, scattering softly throughout the courtyard, illuminating it as if it were daytime.

Lu Zhangsheng sat upright on the chair, his expression calm.

At the same time, a thread of his mind sank into the strange beast's body.

"Sizzle..."

When Lu Zhangsheng opened his eyes, the surroundings were still the dark depths of a cavern.

The air was filled with a faint sulfur smell.

Because it is a newborn world, many volcanoes erupted, causing the air to be quite foul.

After these days of digging, he has become increasingly close to the central region.

Spiritual creature resources also became more abundant.

Of course, the probability of meeting mutant beasts also rose sharply. Some top‑tier innate spirits even sensed the trouble and kept a wide distance.

Clank clank clank…

Lu Zhangsheng gathered his thoughts, waved his two claws, and rushed forward, digging ahead.

The underground was utterly silent, leaving only the sound of his digging.

He pushed forward all the way, and after several hours—

Bang bang…

Lu Zhangsheng suddenly felt his claw hit a thin hard lump, causing his expression to flicker.

His sharp claws, having undergone several Metamorphoses, were already unstoppable.

Yet there was still an obstacle.

"Something wrong?"

He immediately began digging the stone wall ahead.

With his claws swinging swiftly, it wasn't long before a rock wall as white as jade was exposed.

A surge of dense spiritual energy instantly filled the tunnel, invigorating him.

"Could this be a spiritual stone?"

Lu Zhangsheng looked at the scene before him, his eyes brimming with delight.

The powerful spiritual energy coalesced and emitted a glow.

It was clearly a treasure.

It is said that spiritual stones are formed from condensed spiritual energy of heaven and earth; they are scarce in the main world and even rarer in a minor world.

He immediately placed his claw on the stone wall.

【Discovered a low‑grade spiritual stone.】

Note: A product of spiritual energy accumulated over countless years, possessing miraculous effects.

Lu Zhangsheng no longer hesitated and immediately began digging.

"Clank clank clank…"

The spiritual stones on the wall were unearthed piece by piece and piled in the underground tunnel.

His drive grew even stronger.

With this batch of spiritual stones, he feared he could advance further within a month.

By then, even pushing through Qingning Residence would be easy.

A moment later.

The stone wall ahead had been hollowed out, leaving only an underground cavern.

Lu Zhangsheng immediately began absorbing it.

【Source Energy Points +500.】

【Source Energy Points +500.】

The resources in his hands surged rapidly, as if without limit.

Soon, Lu Zhangsheng had completely absorbed all the spiritual stones on the ground.

He opened the panel.

A blue light screen floated in the void.

Source Energy Points: 89000.

A single day of sudden wealth; indeed, the closer he got to the central core, the more astonishing the Spiritual Creature.

Now he was highly confident he could gather enough resources in a short time.

Just as Lu Zhangsheng was about to set out again, an anomaly suddenly erupted.

"Sizzle sizzle sizzle…"

From deep within the cave ahead came a series of harsh scraping sounds.

Immediately after, a towering black silhouette darted out, radiating murderous aura and a heavy sense of pressure.

Lu Zhangsheng fixed his gaze and slightly furrowed his brows.

He saw a python‑type mutant beast burst into the cavern ahead.

The python was over ten meters long, its blood‑red eyes brimming with murderous intent, fixed rigidly on Lu Zhangsheng.

"Innate spiritual python?"

Feeling the oppressive pressure emanating from it, Lu Zhangsheng's eyes hardened.

This spiritual python was extremely powerful; it surpassed all the mutant beasts he had encountered these past days.

"Roar…"

The spiritual python let out a furious roar and charged straight at Lu Zhangsheng, its momentum ferocious beyond compare.

Just as it reached Lu Zhangsheng, it swept its tail out.

Like a massive mountain covering the sky, a series of sonic blasts echoed through the void.

"Kill."

Lu Zhangsheng showed no weakness, thrusting a claw forward fiercely.

His internal qi and blood surged at full force, and the claw's icy light grew ever more dazzling.

"Boom boom boom…"

In an instant, the two collided.

A violent boom reverberated throughout the cavern, fierce winds raging around, stirring up endless dust.

Even the ground began to crack, and the battlefield lay in ruins.

With a single strike.

Lu Zhangsheng's form paused, his claws trembling slightly, yet his aura remained fierce.

The Giant Python retreated outright, slamming hard against the cave wall.

The impact made the entire cavern shake wildly.

In their first clash, Lu Zhangsheng clearly held the advantage.

Though the Spiritual Python was powerful, it was not among the topmost of this realm.

With the strength of Lu Zhangsheng's Exotic Beast Clone, he could stand shoulder to shoulder with those top‑tier innate spirits.

"Hoo Hoo Hoo..."

The Spiritual Python, extremely enraged, lunged again, its killing aura growing denser.

Lu Zhangsheng also surged forward swiftly, like a bolt of lightning.

"Bang bang bang..."

Both sides fought fiercely within the underground cavern.

Countless fragments of stone rained down from above, as if the entire cave were about to collapse.

Lu Zhangsheng turned into a series of afterimages, darting around the Spiritual Python.

Each strike left a blood mark on its massive body.

Over time, the Spiritual Python's body became covered with blood, and wailing cries rang continuously.

Its eyes were filled with fear.

It did not expect the "different one" before it to be so powerful.

Just as it prepared to flee, a sudden mutation occurred.

"Zzz..."

A strange wave surged instantly, turning into a fine needle that pierced its mind.

"Awo Awo Awo..."

Accompanied by endless wails, the Spiritual Python rolled wildly on the ground.

Sand and stones flew everywhere, a cloud of dust billowing.

The one who struck was Lu Zhangsheng; seizing the chance, he directly activated the innate divine skill 【Soul Strike】.

Immediately after.

He began to press the advantage, activating a second divine skill; a gray vortex spun rapidly above the Giant Python's head, emitting a powerful suction.

"Swoosh..."

In an instant, it sucked out a translucent small python.

In the blink of an eye, the Giant Python on the ground vanished.

Lu Zhangsheng darted quickly to the Giant Python's corpse and placed his claws on it.

【Found Swallowing Sky Blood Python corpse, absorb?】

A crisp Prompt Sound rang.

"Absorb."

【Source Energy Points +30000.】

Seeing the resources surge again before his eyes, Lu Zhangsheng's face brightened with joy.

The harvest from this Exotic Beast was clearly greater than previous times.

Obviously due to its stronger strength.

His resources again surpassed one hundred thousand.

Then, Lu Zhangsheng gathered his thoughts and rushed toward the cave entrance ahead.

Next, he intends to devote himself to gathering Spiritual Creature resources, striking for Innate Perfection.

…

Time flew, twenty days later.

Late night, the moonlight like water.

Lu Zhangsheng sat upright on a chair in the courtyard, the bright moonlight spilling over him as if cloaking him in silver radiance.

He opened the panel.

Source Energy Points: 210000.

Looking at the massive harvest in his hands, he felt quite satisfied.

After years of hard digging, he finally gathered it all.

The plus sign behind 【Liuli Body】 lit up again.

Lu Zhangsheng hesitated no more and clicked it immediately.

As Source Energy Points instantly dropped by two hundred thousand.

A subtle wave once again descended into the depths of his mind, as if an unparalleled master were endlessly training.

Innate True Qi within his body began to surge wildly, like roaring rivers.

His body also emitted faint golden radiance, as if bearing a mysterious Dao essence.

【Through your arduous cultivation, you have finally refined the Liuli Body to the Perfect Realm.】

Lu Zhangsheng slowly opened his eyes, feeling the immensely powerful force within, which made him quite pleased.

(End of Chapter)