Chapter 282.1: Lu Changsheng Defeats Six Supreme Earthly Saints! (I)

"Oh?"

Several Earthly Saints showed interest at once.

"Manor Lord Xiahou, what do you mean? What kind of secret world could possibly be too difficult even for Divine Sword Manor to claim for itself?"

Another Earthly Saint asked, "What level is the secret world's energy reaction?"

Secret worlds were tremendously valuable to Earthly Saints because they offered one of the few opportunities to obtain Martial Dao fragments. So naturally, everyone present was eager to know just what kind of secret world Divine Sword Manor had discovered.

Xiahou Puyu continued, "This secret world's energy reaction is at the Earthly Saint Realm, which means our true bodies can enter it directly. The problem is that the lifeforms inside are extremely powerful. Divine Sword Manor has operated within this secret world for many years, yet we have still been unable to condense its Martial Dao, much less obtain any Martial Dao fragments. We've even lost quite a few Earthly Saints in trying to accomplish our goal.

"Divine Sword Manor has invested far too much in this secret world to simply abandon it now, but we're also running out of time. In about ten years, it'll drift away from the Immortal Martial World, and once that happens, we'll lose our opportunity forever.

"That's why the Divine Sword Manor has decided to invite the strongest Earthly Saints among you to enter the secret world with us. If we succeed in condensing its Martial Dao and obtaining the fragments, we'll distribute the fragments according to each person's contribution. What do you all think?"

Following Xiahou Puyu's explanation, silence settled upon the grand hall. No one answered immediately. Everyone was considering the proposal, but the more they thought about it, the more dangerous the situation seemed.

An Earthly Saint-level secret world was undoubtedly an extraordinary opportunity. If its Martial Dao could be condensed, the fragments obtained from it might greatly advance an Earthly Saint's cultivation and perhaps even provide a path toward becoming a Heavenly Saint. Something this valuable was precisely why Divine Sword Manor had spent years trying to monopolize it in the first place.

However, all those years of effort had only yielded dead Earthly Saints. And now, with the secret world due to drift away in another ten years, Divine Sword Manor was suddenly willing to invite outsiders in and divide the rewards among them. This alone showed just how serious the situation had become.

If Divine Sword Manor still believed it could succeed on its own, it would not have shared an opportunity like this in the first place. The fact that it was willing to give up part of the potential reward meant it had already reached the point where keeping the secret world to itself was no longer an option.

The Earthly Saints continued weighing their choices. The rewards could be enormous, but the danger was just as real. Failure could bring consequences beyond imagining, death included.

At last, one Earthly Saint made his decision.

"Forget it. This secret world is too dangerous," he said, rising from his seat. "I'd rather continue cultivating steadily. Manor Lord Xiahou, forgive me, but I will not accompany you. Farewell."

Then, he turned and left the hall.

Another Earthly Saint quickly followed. "Same here. An Earthly Saint-level secret world is too dangerous. Goodbye."

Once the first two Earthly Saints departed, others began making the same choice. A third left, then a fourth, followed by a fifth. And before long, most of the Earthly Saints had gone.

They were already Earthly Saints, and none of them had reached that point easily. Martial Dao fragments might be exceedingly difficult to obtain, but they were not going to risk everything they had accomplished so far just for one opportunity. Faced with the possibility of death, many preferred to be careful.

Soon only a handful remained in Divine Sword Manor's great hall, and Lu Changsheng was among them.

Xiaohou Puyu was surprised to see Lu Changsheng still there. From what he had learned, Lu Changsheng, the Supreme Elder of the Hundred Flowers Sect, was extremely young, and there was little need for him to gamble his life on such a dangerous opportunity. Unlike many older Earthly Saints whose cultivation had stagnated for years, time was firmly on his side.

Xiahou Puyu had invited him only because his strength was formidable, and had guessed he would refuse. And yet, Lu Changsheng remained seated, calm and composed, showing no intention of leaving.

He actually wants to go? Xiaohou Puyu looked at Lu Changsheng. He's one of the strongest Earthly Saints despite his youth, yet he still wants to risk his life? Who would've thought...

Xiahou Puyu looked at those who remained. "For those of you who stayed back, may I assume you all intend to venture into the secret world?"

"Manor Lord Xiahou, there is no need to probe further," one Earthly Saint replied. "We stayed behind, so naturally we want to go to that secret world. What concerns me now is the reward. We'll be risking our lives in there, so exactly how many Martial Dao fragments can we expect to receive? If the reward is not worth the risk, then I am afraid I will have to decline as well..."

At once, everyone turned their attention to Xiahou Puyu. Before entering a place where even Earthly Saints had died, they naturally wanted the distribution of the rewards settled clearly. No one would risk their life without first knowing what they stood to gain.

Xiahou Puyu had evidently expected the question. "The secret world's energy reaction is extremely high. Once the Martial Dao of an Earthly Saint-level secret world like this is condensed, the fragments it produces will certainly be extraordinary. Divine Sword Manor will take only thirty percent of the total. The remaining seventy percent goes to all of you, distributed according to contribution. How does that sound?"

Several people's eyes immediately brightened. Thirty percent was by no means a small share, but considering that Divine Sword Manor had discovered the secret world, explored it for years, and already suffered significant losses there, leaving seventy percent for the invited Earthly Saints was far more generous than many had expected.

Lu Changsheng himself was considering the offer. A single Martial Dao fragment produced within this Earthly Saint-level secret world should be vastly more powerful than those he had obtained from the previous two secret worlds. The higher a secret world's energy level, the stronger the Martial Dao fragments it could produce and the greater the benefit they offered.

Still, the promised seventy percent raised another question.

"Distributed according to contribution?" one Earthly Saint asked. "That leaves quite a lot open to interpretation."

"Rest assured, everyone," Xiahou Puyu replied. "Divine Sword Manor has already established a contribution system, and every reward will be calculated according to it."

He then gestured for one of his men to bring up a list. "We drafted the rules in advance. Please take a look."

The Earthly Saints examined the list, and just like Xiahou Puyu had said, everything had been quantified. Killing an Earthly Saint or a Martial Saint-level expert awarded a specific number of contribution points, while defeating or holding off such opponents granted another amount. Completing missions assigned by Divine Sword Manor carried its own rewards as well.

Each type of contribution had been assigned a clear value in advance. And if they ultimately succeeded in obtaining the Martial Dao fragments, each person's share would be calculated according to the proportion of contribution points they had earned.

The arrangement eased much of the remaining concern, and even Lu Changsheng gave a faint nod of approval. Divine Sword Manor had clearly thought things through.

However, one key issue still remained, and that was safety. Earthly Saints had already died in this secret world, and anyone entering it would be exposed to the same risk. For the others, that alone was enough to make this expedition a gamble with their lives, but Lu Changsheng did not face the same problem.

After all, he could be reborn from a single drop of blood, and anyone who could kill him had to be above the Earthly Saint level. And even if someone managed to actually kill him, the clone he had left behind in the Immortal Martial World would keep him from truly dying. Ultimately, the worst possible outcome would be the loss of his Earthly Saint Dao Body, forcing him to cultivate it again from the beginning. And even that was merely the most extreme possibility.

With Lu Changsheng's current strength, he had yet to encounter another Earthly Saint whom he genuinely feared. Others might enter the secret world knowing death could be waiting for them, but he had far more confidence to take that risk.

"There is still one crucial issue," said Lu Changsheng slowly. "If too many Earthly Saints enter together, whose martial path are we supposed to promote? If everyone tries to spread a different system, the martial path within the secret world will never be unified. Without a unified martial path, how are we supposed to condense a Martial Dao?"

Lu Changsheng's question cut straight to the heart of the matter. More Earthly Saints did not mean better odds; the more there were, the blurrier things could get. Every Earthly Saint had their own understanding of the martial path, and each path could easily conflict with one another.

If one person promoted one path while another taught something completely different, the inhabitants of the secret world would only become divided, and the Martial Dao would never be condensed. So, if they wanted to condense a Martial Dao successfully, they would first need to agree on exactly what path they were going to promote.