Chapter 193.2: Dao Lord Shan Hai, Lu Changsheng of the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect Will Kill You! (II)

Lu Changsheng rose and headed straight for the Divine Technique Hall. He wanted to find a compound divine technique that incorporated the Wind, Fire, and Wood Principles.

This was not some combination he had come up with randomly; he had given this some thought. Wind could fan flames, and among the five elements, wood fed fire. If these three Principles were used to create a compound divine technique, their power would reinforce one another seamlessly, and the result was bound to be frightening.

After arriving at the Divine Technique Hall, Lu Changsheng found quite a number of compound divine techniques built around those three Principles. However, the abundance of divine techniques involving three Principles did not mean they were easy to create. Naturally, the more Principles a divine technique incorporated, the more powerful it became—but also the more difficult it was to develop.

The reason there were so many divine techniques of this type was simple: Fire, Wind, and Wood were all relatively common Principles, and they complemented one another well. Over the years, many cultivators had comprehended all three, so naturally, more divine techniques based on this combination had been created.

Lu Changsheng searched through the divine techniques carefully. If he was going to choose one, he naturally wanted the strongest.

After roughly two hours, he finally settled for a technique called Flame Current.

The name was simple, but the technique itself was anything but ordinary. By driving the Wind Principle and the Wood Principle to their limits and converting them entirely into fire force, then further amplifying that force with the Fire Principle, Flame Current could unleash flames capable of scorching and annihilating everything in its path.

Practicing a compound divine technique of three Principles was extremely difficult. Even activating it was a major challenge; many Dao Foundation experts spent decades on activating it alone—and bringing it to Perfection was entirely a different story.

According to the records, Flame Current had been around for more than ten thousand years, yet fewer than ten Dao Foundation martial artists had ever practiced it to Perfection. That alone showed how difficult the divine technique was.

But of course, Lu Changsheng was not afraid of a challenging divine technique. His only concern was that the divine technique might not be powerful enough.

Currently, Flame Current was the one divine technique that met his requirements, so he quickly exchanged for it and returned to his cave residence.

It took me ten days to activate Firestorm Purgatory, a compound divine technique, and three months to bring it to Perfection. I wonder how long Flame Current will take...

With that thought, Lu Changsheng closed his eyes. Then, within his Mind Space, the Fire Principle, Wind Principle, and Wood Principle began to interact and recombine according to the instructions recorded in Flame Current.

One day passed, then three, then five, then ten...

This time, Lu Changsheng took longer than he ever had before.

Eleven days, twelve days, thirteen days, and fourteen days went by.

Then finally, on the fifteenth day, Lu Changsheng opened his eyes. In the next instant, his Mind Space descended.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Within his Mind Space, the Fire Principle, Wind Principle, and Wood Principle flashed again and again. At the same time, a wave of blazing flames surged forth. Like magma erupting from a volcano, it spread throughout his entire Mind Space.

This was the power of the divine technique, Flame Current. Wherever it passed, everything turned to ash.

What a terrifying divine technique, and I've only just activated it. I wonder how powerful it'll be once it reaches Perfection...

Lu Changsheng was filled with anticipation as he continued his cultivation. But if Flame Current had taken fifteen days just to activate, getting it to Perfection would clearly not come easily.

Time passed again, little by little. One month went by, then two, then three, then four. By the time Lu Changsheng finally stirred, five full months had passed.

A line of small text suddenly appeared before his eyes.

[Divine technique "Flame Current" has reached Perfection. Perception increased by 3,000 points.]

Lu Changsheng opened his eyes. Is it finally done...? As expected of a supreme divine technique that fused three Principles. That was not easy...

For a moment, he felt almost dazed. Even with his exceptional Perception, practicing Flame Current all the way to Perfection had lasted a full five months. For any other Dao Foundation martial artist, even one with high Perception, getting a divine technique like this to Perfection would be far more difficult. It might take decades, centuries, or even longer. In fact, no matter how much time one spent, success would still be far from guaranteed.

By now, Lu Changsheng had practiced several supreme divine techniques, including two supreme compound divine techniques. Through that experience, he had gradually come to understand the true essence of practicing divine techniques.

At its core, practicing a divine technique was about rearranging and recombining Principles. A cultivator had to keep testing different combinations and arrangements until the technique finally took shape. With a divine technique based on a single Principle, the process was relatively simple. As long as a person's Perception was not too low, it usually would not be too difficult.

However, once two Principles were involved, the difficulty level rose sharply. Rearranging and recombining two Principles was far more complicated than doing the same with one. Three Principles was, of course, even harder. Each additional Principle did not merely make the technique a little harder to practice; it multiplied the difficulty.

Lu Changsheng immediately called up his Status Panel to check his current state.

[Status Panel]

Host: Lu Changsheng

Perception: 33510 (A Dragon Among Men)

[Skills] 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Mental Principle: Progress 36%

Fire Principle: Progress 34%

Wind Principle: Progress 24%

Wood Principle: Progress 15%

Flame Current: Perfection

After five months, Lu Changsheng's Perception had already exceeded 30,000 points. The rate of increase was genuinely fast, and Lu Changsheng was very satisfied. At this pace, his Perception would reach 100,000 points within a few years. At that level, another fundamental transformation would likely occur.

The progress of his four Principles was steady as well. The Mental Principle still had some ways to go before reaching Perfection, but that much was not unexpected. After all, achieving Principle Perfection was never easy. Even the most talented Dao Foundation martial artists, no matter how many compound divine techniques they practiced, still needed decades of slow accumulation before they could perfect their Principles.

Lu Changsheng's Perception gave him an edge, but he would still need several years regardless.

Now that Flame Current is at Perfection, dealing with Dao Lord Shan Hai should no longer be a problem. But I should still prepare a Teleportation Talisman. I need a contingency plan just in case.

Lu Changsheng had always planned thoroughly. Even though he was quite powerful, he still had to account for the possibility of failure. If things took a sudden turn for the worse, he had to ensure his survival. For that, a Teleportation Talisman was essential.

Dao Lords did not possess a Mind Space, so unless they used an entrapment formation or a binding enchanted treasure, they could not prevent a Teleportation Talisman from taking effect. At a critical moment, the talisman could truly save Lu Changsheng's life.

Teleportation Talismans were very expensive, but he could trade for them at the Exchange Hall. Aside from the Heavenly Demon Essence Blood, Lu Changsheng still had many other valuable items on him, so acquiring one Teleportation Talisman would not be too difficult for him.

So, Lu Changsheng went directly to the Exchange Hall and soon found a Teleportation Talisman. He traded some treasures for it and stored it away carefully. With the Teleportation Talisman secured, Lu Changsheng finally felt completely at ease.

Next task, Dao Lord Shan Hai. I promised Wang Yun I would take action within a year. Now, it is time.

With his resolve steeled, Lu Changsheng left the Exchange Hall and headed straight for Wang Yun's cave residence. He had been tasked with the killing of Dao Lord Shan Hai, but Wang Yun still had to provide his whereabouts. After all, she had been watching Dao Lord Shan Hai closely all this time.

When Lu Changsheng arrived, Wang Yun came out to meet him.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, I am ready. It's time for me to go and confront Dao Lord Shan Hai," Lu Changsheng said firmly.

Wang Yun's eyes lit up, excitement surging through her. After waiting for several months, Lu Changsheng was finally ready to tackle her request.

"So you've come to ask about Dao Lord Shan Hai's whereabouts, haven't you? Well, lately, he's been very cautious. He's been staying within the encampment of the Purple Sun Immortal Sect."

"The Purple Sun Immortal Sect?" Lu Changsheng frowned. "That complicates things."

He had promised Wang Yun to slay Dao Lord Shan Hai, but he had no intention of storming the Purple Sun Immortal Sect's encampment to do so. Making an enemy out of an entire immortal sect was essentially suicide. No matter how strong he was, he would not fight an entire immortal sect on his own.

"Fellow Daoist Lu, don't be troubled. I'll accompany you to the Purple Sun Immortal Sect. The moment I appear near their encampment, Dao Lord Shan Hai will surely come out to attack me," Wang Yun said through gritted teeth. "I'll lure him some distance away from the sect's encampment. Once he is far enough, you can strike from the shadows and kill him."

That was Wang Yun's plan: luring out Dao Lord Shan Hai with herself as bait. In truth, her strategy made sense.

Wang Yun was certain that Dao Lord Shan Hai would take the bait. He had killed her Dao companion, Lu Zhenkong, so her hatred for him was obvious. As long as she lived, Dao Lord Shan Hai would always have to look over his shoulder. Even a powerful man unafraid of trouble would not want someone watching him from the shadows indefinitely, so if she appeared near the Purple Sun Immortal Sect, he would likely take the chance to eliminate that threat once and for all.

Naturally, this plan would put Wang Yun herself in grave danger.