273: Two extraordinary talents have emerged from two sacred lands, presenting the last chance to ascend to the Immortal Island!

At the summit of Daozi Peak, the clouds and mist, which had been dispersed by the terrifying Dragon Breath earlier, were sparsely gathering again.

The commotion from the Martial Arts Arena was isolated outside the Formation, and the peak was so quiet that only the whistling of the wind over the rocks could be heard.

"With my current worth, I should get at least three thousand Spirit Stones..."

Lu Sheng squatted on a relatively flat stone, holding a twig to draw on the ground while muttering to himself.

That calculating appearance—where was the slightest trace of the peerless ferocity he displayed when suppressing thousands just moments ago?

He looked exactly like a vendor haggling in a vegetable market.

Luo Tianfei stood not far away; although her Soft Armor was somewhat scorched, her back remained ramrod straight.

She watched Lu Sheng's behavior, her mouth twitching, and ultimately couldn't resist rolling her eyes.

This was the man who defeated her?

No matter how she looked at him, he seemed like a scoundrel.

"Cough, cough!"

A burst of violent coughing broke the strange "bill-settling" atmosphere.

Three streaks of light descended, transforming into the figures of Elders Li Xiaoyao, Xing Tian, and Ling Yao.

Li Xiaoyao had changed into a brand-new Daoist Robe, but his Face was still dark. He glanced at the dense numbers on the ground, his eye twitching wildly: "Stop calculating! This Elder said double, and it is double! Although Dengxian Island is down on its Luck, we won't renege on such a paltry sum!"

"Even brothers must settle accounts clearly, let alone an employer-employee relationship like ours." Lu Sheng threw away the twig, clapped the dust off his hands, and said matter-of-factly, "If the money is in place, I can crush a god for you; if the money isn't enough, I can only lie flat."

"You..." Li Xiaoyao was choked with anger and about to erupt, but Elder Ling Yao, standing beside him, smiled gently, interrupting the confrontation between the two rascals.

"Lu Sheng, don't anger the Grand Elder." Elder Ling Yao's voice was soft, yet carried an undeniable seriousness. "More than Spirit Stones, what you should be concerned about now is the Holy Land Grand Competition two months from now."

Hearing the four words "Holy Land Grand Competition," Elder Xing Tian's typically carefree expression also sobered, and his fiery muscles tensed, giving him a grim appearance.

"What's wrong? Can the people from those two great Holy Lands eat people?" Lu Sheng raised an eyebrow and asked casually.

"Eat people?" Xing Tian sneered, his voice like a great bell. "They are much scarier than cannibals."

Li Xiaoyao took a deep breath, his gaze sweeping over the sea of clouds toward the distant east, his tone as heavy as lead.

"Lu Sheng, you think you are very strong, right? An extreme realm Spirit Apprentice, tearing apart Spirit Masters with your bare hands, and even capable of wrestling with an early-stage Spirit Ancestor."

"But what if this Elder told you that the Daozi of Kunlun, who claims 'Heaven did not give birth to me,' stepped into the Spirit Ancestor Realm three years ago, and now has half a foot across the threshold of the Spirit King Realm?"

Lu Sheng's hand, which was tucked into his pocket, paused slightly.

Half-step Spirit King?

That Realm capable of controlling Laws, possessing a complete Domain, and even transforming one's body into a Dharma Idol?

"And there is the Saintess of Penglai," Elder Ling Yao added, her eyes complicated. "She possesses the 'Ethereal Dao Body,' which is rare in ten thousand years, and is naturally attuned to Space Law. It is said that her current battle achievement is the flawless slaying of a Level 38 Abyssal Lord."

A Level 38 Abyssal Lord.

That was an existence far more terrifying than any monster Lu Sheng had encountered before.

Luo Tianfei's expression changed. Although she was arrogant, she wasn't foolish.

Fighting Level 30 and above when you are Level 20—the gap is not a step, but a chasm.

"In other words..." Lu Sheng narrowed his eyes, a dangerous glint flashing in his dark golden vertical pupils. "If I participate now, the probability is high that I'm just delivering food?"

"Not high probability." Li Xiaoyao turned around, staring intently at Lu Sheng, emphasizing every word. "It's certain death."

"In front of those true monsters, so-called challenging opponents above your level has its limits."

"They also cultivate the most top-tier Cultivation Techniques, possess God-Tier Sequences, and even... they have been bathing in 'Divine Blood' since birth."

The atmosphere instantly dropped to freezing point.

Reality was this cruel.

The endpoint you desperately struggled to reach might only be someone else's starting line.

Lu Sheng was silent for two seconds.

Then, he suddenly smiled.

There was no fear in that smile; instead, it held the excitement and greed of a hunter spotting top-tier prey.

"How interesting."

Lu Sheng licked his slightly dry lips, the ambition in his eyes growing wildly like wildfire.

"Since the gap is so huge, why do you still want me to go?"

"This doesn't sound like a competition; it sounds more like... being cannon fodder?"

"Unless..." Lu Sheng gazed intently at Li Xiaoyao, "you old guys are hiding some trump card that can let me ascend to heaven in one step?"

"Trump card?"

Li Xiaoyao gave a miserable laugh, that laughter carrying endless vicissitudes and desolation. Instead of answering directly, he countered with a question: "Lu Sheng, do you know why we are so determined about this Grand Competition? Is it merely for a tiny bit of resources?"

Lu Sheng said nothing, quietly waiting for the rest of the story.

Li Xiaoyao clasped his hands behind his back, and his Aura suddenly changed. He was no longer the calculating, wretched old man, but an ancient sword, dusty for years yet still razor-sharp.

"Countless Epochs ago, this True Sea had neither Kunlun nor Penglai."

The old man's voice became grand and desolate, as if echoing the passage of time.

"At that time, there was only one Holy Land under heaven."

"Its name was—Dengxian Island!"

"And the strongest person who walked out from here, the man who suppressed an entire era and prevented the Abyssal Demon God from daring to step onto Blue Star..."

"The world respectfully called him—Immortal Qin Ancient Emperor!!"

Boom!

The moment those four words struck, Lu Sheng felt the Dragon God Sequence within him violently tremble, as if sensing a co-originated, ancient, and tyrannical will.

Immortal Qin Ancient Emperor?

The legendary First Emperor who swept across the six directions and unified all heavens?!

Luo Tianfei was so shocked that she covered her mouth, her beautiful eyes wide. Even a Prodigy from a Family background like her had never heard of such Secret History.

"That glory is long in the past," Elder Xing Tian interjected gruffly, his fists cracking. "The Ancient Emperor fell outside this Realm while attempting to Seal the source of the Abyss. When the wall falls, everyone pushes it down. Those Sects that once knelt at our feet joined forces to suppress us and carve up our Luck."

"We had no choice but to Seal our Mountain Gate, retreat into the True Sea, and barely survive until now."

"We went from being the sole King to a second-rate power."

Elder Ling Yao sighed, her gaze gentle yet firm: "We old bones don't have much time left. But before we close our eyes, we want to see the banner of Dengxian Island planted once again at the highest point of the True Sea."

"This is not just about Face, but about... dignity."