Hiss.

Many martial artists drew in sharp breaths. What they witnessed today was beyond anything they had ever imagined. The fact that Lu Changsheng had fused Domain—and not just one, but two at that—was almost unbelievable.

For most Divine Treasury martial artists, even comprehending a single Domain was extremely difficult. To grasp more than one was already a rare achievement. As for Domain Fusion, they did not even dare to hope for them. Even if they knew which Domains could fuse, deliberately comprehending the idea of fusing them would require immense time and effort. Moreover, there was no guarantee of success.

Before a Domain could be evolved, the martial artist had to comprehend Intent. That required inspiration. The Perception of the majority of people wasn't high enough to choose which Intent to grasp. In other words, it all came down to luck.

Lu Changsheng took a deep breath. This was a pure clash of Domains. Even with two fused Domains, he held no clear advantage.

Lu Changsheng activated the Heart Sword. "Heart Sword! Sever!"

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

One Heart Sword after another shot out in succession. Inside the Mind Space, the Heart Sword trembled again and again. Each tremor produced a jade-colored sword. This was the very Jade Heart Sword that had undergone a transformation and could finally materialize.

A single strike was nothing, but when ten or dozens of Jade Heart Swords struck relentlessly, they would become incredibly threatening. This was exactly what Long Yun was facing at the moment. His face tightened as he watched the oncoming Heart Swords.

Under normal circumstances, such a mental technique would not pose a serious threat. He could endure it. Even if he could not fully withstand it, the impact would remain limited, but right now, he and Lu Changsheng were in a stalemate when it came to their Domains. In a battle like this, any added pressure could decide the outcome.

"It huuurts! Mental barrier, HOOOLD!!!"

Even Long Yun struggled under the assault. The pain disrupted his focus, and his control over his Domains weakened.

Rumble! 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

However, Lu Changsheng grew stronger with each setback. He pressed on with his Domains, and they surged forward with increasing force, driving straight toward Long Yun.

"NOOOOOO!" Long Yun cried out.

All traces of his earlier composure vanished. Even his usual elegance had disappeared. He now felt regret. For the sake of the Heart-Soothing Pearl, he had come to deal with Lu Changsheng. Was this really the strength of a newly advanced Divine Treasury martial artist?

He could not even think of escape. Though he carried a Teleportation Talisman, the endless barrage of Heart Sword strikes left him with no chance of using it.

Crack!

At last, the Ice Snow Domain broke. Lu Changsheng's Starry Sky Waterfall Domain closed in and engulfed him. The massive waterfall descended from above and washed over everything.

Swish!

Long Yun's body was washed away by the waterfall, instantly turning into powder. Only a few items of his remained intact; everything else was reduced to dust. Silence descended immediately afterward; a deathly stillness hung in the air!

Long Yun was dead! The renowned true inheritor of the Yellow Heavenly Sect was reduced to dust without leaving a corpse behind.

"Lu Changsheng killed Long Yun?"

"T-This is unbelievable. Long Yun's been famous for ages, and his strength just now was on par with top-tier Divine Treasury experts. And Lu Changsheng actually killed him?"

"Lu Changsheng has six Domains, plus two fused ones. On top of that, he also has that mental technique. Even Long Yun's mental barrier couldn't hold on against it. That mental technique must've been really scary."

"He fought above his realm back in the first layer and was called the foremost Divine Fortification martial artist in the Ancient Region. With so many Divine Fortification martial artists out there, who would dare claim that title? A genius like that—even after just opening his Mind Space and stepping into Divine Treasury—is still among the very top..."

"This is truly unbelievable... the Yellow Heavenly Sect will likely be in trouble now. The death of a true inheritor is no small matter. It will surely cause a huge uproar."

For a moment, everyone looked at Lu Changsheng again. This time, their eyes held a trace of reverence. He was truly formidable. Even Long Yun had died at his hands, even though just moments earlier, Long Yun had effortlessly slain Immortal Master Qiu Yi. He was not weak at all.

Wooosh...

Lu Changsheng stepped forward and arrived at the spot where Long Yun once stood. He looked down. There were several items on the ground, and one bead stood out in particular. He knew very well that anything that could remain intact under the force of his Domains had to be extraordinary, so he picked up the bead.

"Hm? This bead..."

The moment he picked up the bead, the turmoil in his mind settled at once. Even the lingering negative thoughts that used to trouble him seemed to fade away. He had not entered a state of epiphany, but the clarity he felt was remarkable. In this calm state, comprehending Intent, evolving Domains, and studying techniques or secret methods all became much easier.

"This is a pretty good support item."

Lu Changsheng picked up the bead and took a closer look. There were tiny characters engraved on it.

"Heart-Soothing Pearl, Xu Haotian"

"Wait... this Heart-Soothing Pearl belongs to Xu Haotian?"

Lu Changsheng's heart stirred. It was normal for treasures to bear names. Items crafted by Immortal Masters or Dao Lords were often engraved with the owner's name.

He did not know that Xu Haotian had paid a tremendous price to have this Heart-Soothing Pearl crafted by a Dao Lord. It was a top-tier support treasure for the Divine Treasury Realm. For those in that realm, cultivation relied on comprehending Intent and evolving Domains. A calm and clear state of mind at all times was extremely important.

"Xu Haotian again..."

Lu Changsheng felt a chill run through him. Thanks to Xu Haoran, Xu Haotian had already sent Wu Qingyi to ambush him. Even though Lu Changsheng had just advanced to the Divine Treasury Realm, Xu Haotian had already sent Long Yun after him as well.

Xu Haotian was already on the verge of forging his Dao Foundation. His strength would certainly be even more terrifying than Long Yun's.

Many thoughts flashed through his mind. I've already caught around sixty-eight Five Element Beasts. There might still be a few left in Boundary Mountain, but there won't be that many, and they're probably well hidden. Tracking them all down would take months.

Staying here comes with risks. If news of Long Yun's death reaches Xu Haotian, he'll drop everything and come straight to Boundary Mountain to deal with me.

With my strength, I'd still struggle against Xu Haotian, but it's fine. My Mind Space is almost at ten li. Once it gets there, I can refine a Mind Stabilization Stone. It'll make my Mind Space more stable, improve how efficiently I can nurture my Domains, and push my strength even higher.

"I'll go." Lu Changsheng put away the Heart-Soothing Pearl and the remaining items. Then, with a few steps, he disappeared from sight. He knew the events at Boundary Mountain would soon spread. Of course, it wouldn't concern him, as he had already returned to the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect.

For now, he had no intention of leaving the sect. He needed time to consolidate his gains. After all, sixty-eight Five Element Beasts would yield an astronomical number of contribution points. For the near future, he had more than enough to exchange for Dao Comprehension Pills.

Lu Changsheng sat cross-legged in the courtyard with the Heart-Soothing Pearl hanging from his neck. It kept his mind clear and steady. His thoughts stayed sharp, and inspiration came more easily.

With the pearl on him each day, his mind remained calm and focused at all times. His thinking stayed active, and new insights even surfaced from time to time. He began to organize his path of cultivation moving forward.

Once you reach Divine Treasury, improving your strength mostly comes down to secret techniques and Domains. As for secret techniques, I've got the Heart Sword True Mantra. It can still evolve. It's also practical and powerful.

As for Domains... I was a bit naive. You can't just evolve them randomly; the best approach is to work toward them with a clear goal in mind. For most Divine Treasury experts, just evolving a Domain is already good enough. Then they can nurture it to Perfection in their Mind Space and materialize it, which will make their strength shoot up.

But that's the path for ordinary Divine Treasury experts. For geniuses, comprehending Domains isn't that hard as they can focus on specific ones, especially Domains that can be fused together.