Chapter 280.1: The Ten-Year Term Arrives and the True Body Descends! Lu Changsheng Tears Through and Departs! (I)

"Oh?" Lu Changsheng was mildly surprised, his eyes narrowing slightly as he stared straight at his opponent. How did the Demon Progenitor in front of him know he was not of this world?

Seeing Lu Changsheng's reaction, the Demon Progenitor only grew more certain.

"Sigh... To beings like us, this world truly holds no secrets. Humanity and the demon race were both born of this world, so I can see through either of them at a glance. You are the only one I cannot see through. The Flesh and Blood Martial Dao you created yourself can convert humans into blood descendants and can even kill demons. That alone runs against the rules of this world so there is only one possibility left. You must have come from another world.

"I've actually been observing our world drawing steadily closer to another, far greater one. That world seems so vast and magnificent that a single glance at it is enough to shake my heart and soul. That is the world you hail from, is it not?"

Lu Changsheng realized he had underestimated the Demon Progenitor after all. Surprisingly, the creature could already observe the Immortal Martial World. That made him very nearly a being who had "leaped out of the cage," which, in truth, was no easy thing at all.

Lu Changsheng clasped his hands behind his back and asked plainly, "So what if I did?"

Even though the Demon Progenitor's guess was right, Lu Changsheng was not the least bit fazed. After all, he was already at Sixth Growth. Moreover, he had Blood Rebirth, and he had even left pieces of his own flesh hidden in places all over the world. In short, he had no reason to fear the Demon Progenitor.

Even if his body was destroyed, what of it? In a few more months, the ten-year term would be up and the power of his true body would be projected into the world. When that time came, regardless of how strong the Demon Progenitor was, there would only be one outcome for him: death.

The Demon Progenitor simply stared at Lu Changsheng. Truthfully, he had a great deal to say and a few plans he wanted to "discuss" with him. However, at their level of cultivation, there weren't any unspoken rules. A discussion required both sides to be at the same level. Only equals could pause and discuss something. If one side could not even withstand a single blow, then they were simply at the other's mercy, to be carved up and stripped of anything their opponent wanted.

"Demon Progenitor, show me what this world is truly capable of!" Lu Changsheng demanded.

The Demon Progenitor nodded. "Fair enough. You come from that world, so naturally you are too proud to speak as an equal with the lives of a small world like ours. In that case, it seems we must fight after all!"

As the two of them got ready to fight in the sky, every demon and blood descendant around them hurried back as much as a hundred li. Perhaps not even that distance guaranteed safety.

"Flesh and Blood true body!"

Lu Changsheng's body immediately began to swell, and soon he towered from the earth to the sky with a terrifying aura.

At that, the Demon Progenitor gave a faint smile.

Boom!

His body started to swell rapidly too, as though some power were pouring into him endlessly. To Lu Changsheng, it looked as if the whole world were lending him its unlimited strength.

Bam!

The two of them made their move, each throwing a punch straight out. It was pure strength against strength, with no fancy techniques of any kind. The Demon Progenitor wanted to make Lu Changsheng submit, while Lu Changsheng wanted to see what the upper limit of the world's power looked like. Ultimately, both of them were going all out.

Boom!

Their powers collided, and the tremendous aftershock shattered the sky. A vast tide of force then swept out in every direction.

Lu Changsheng's eyes narrowed slightly. "Hmm? This power..."

To him, the Demon Progenitor's power was not exceptionally great. However, it could hold its own against him, and more importantly, it kept flowing without pause, as if it would never run dry. Lu Changsheng keenly sensed that his opponent's strength came from the entire world itself.

"Split!"

The flesh on Lu Changsheng's body separated from him in an instant and formed an enormous palm in the sky that crashed down with overwhelming force, seemingly leaving the Demon Progenitor no time to react.

However, the Demon Progenitor managed to stretch out his palm, and a giant hand appeared in the sky, slamming hard into Lu Changsheng's.

Bam!

Both palms burst apart at once, but as Lu Changsheng's scattered flesh fell toward the Demon Progenitor, it seemed to come alive. It was writhing ceaselessly, pouncing onto him faster than the eye could follow. In no time, the Demon Progenitor was covered in layer upon layer of flesh.

"Devour!" Lu Changsheng commanded.

The immeasurable scraps of Lu Changsheng's flesh quickly began devouring the Demon Progenitor. Since his flesh was the natural bane of the demon race, this particular move served as his trump card.

However, the Demon Progenitor's flesh was just as powerful, and the two sides continued to devour each other. The difference was that unlike with the demons he had fought before, Lu Changsheng found himself at a complete disadvantage.

The Demon Progenitor was nothing like the ordinary demons or even the ancient demons. In this world, he was like the chosen one, with endless power flowing into him. As such, even as their flesh devoured each other, whatever the Demon Progenitor lost, he could replenish at once.

As for Lu Changsheng, while he also could build up his flesh over time, every bit that was devoured was gone for good, no matter how much he stored. With his own side dwindling while the other continuous replenished itself, how could he hope to stand against the Demon Progenitor?

"Return."

With a single thought from Lu Changsheng, the flesh covering the Demon Progenitor flew swiftly back and merged into his body again. Clearly, he did not want to waste any more of it for nothing.

"What's this? The Flesh and Blood Progenitor won't continue?" the Demon Progenitor asked nonchalantly. Though he had just endured a great attack, it seemed to have had no effect on him.

Lu Changsheng spoke up in a low voice, one word at a time. "Demon Progenitor, in this world you already stand where you cannot be defeated, so fighting you here is meaningless. The only way to kill you for good would be to cut the link between you and this world, or to outright shatter this world."

Evidently, Lu Changsheng understood just how hard the Demon Progenitor was to deal with. He had fused completely with the world, and killing him meant he had to either shatter the world or sever the link.

However, whether it meant cutting that link or shattering the world, Lu Changsheng could do neither with his current strength at Sixth Growth. He could only do something if his true body descended or the power of that body was projected, and that was still a few months away.

The Demon Progenitor's lips curled into a smirk. "Correct, I was born of heaven and nurtured by earth, favored by fortune from the moment I came into being. Even so, in the beginning I too could die, as my lifespan would one day reach its end. Later, I came up with a way: I fused with the world.

"From then on, I have been immortal and indestructible. When I later created the demon race, I gave them the same immortal, indestructible power. Unfortunately, only after a long time had passed did I realize that fusing with the world had also bound me to this world forever. It is like being trapped in a cage with no way out. Now, after all this time, the only thing I wish is to just leave this world..."

Just like that, the Demon Progenitor had revealed the secret behind his own immortality and that of the demon race.

Upon hearing that, Lu Changsheng was deeply shaken. He had assumed the Demon Progenitor had been fused with the world since birth. As it turned out, that was not the case at all. Instead, the Demon Progenitor had later chosen to fuse with the world in order to escape death, and so had become immortal and indestructible.

"Flesh and Blood Progenitor, may I ask what is your purpose in coming to this world?"

"My purpose?" Lu Changsheng answered coldly. "Sorry, I have nothing to tell you."

He was not afraid of the Demon Progenitor coming after him again. Even if his body were destroyed, he had spare flesh that could bring him back just the same, and it was more than enough to last until the ten-year term was up.

Though he was fused with the world and indestructible, the Demon Progenitor could not possibly sense every crevice of it. With no way to find the flesh Lu Changsheng had hidden all over the place, there was nothing he could do to him.

In any case, the Demon Progenitor did not seem surprised by Lu Changsheng's refusal to answer his question.

"Let me guess. You came from another world, which couldn't have been easy due to the world barrier. If you spent so much effort coming here, there must be something you want to obtain.

"What is it? Resources? Treasures? Fellow Daoist, for someone of your standing and strength, the resources and treasures of this world are hardly worth mentioning. No, something like that would not justify such an effort.

"Then, there can only be one explanation. Cultivation. Ever since you arrived, this world seems to have changed. Take, for instance, the Martial Dao condensed from the will of the masses... If you are here to cultivate, Fellow Daoist, might your goal be this Martial Dao condensed from the masses?"