Top-Tier Perception Starts From Basic Fist Techniques

"Thank you for saving our lives, Senior!" The three respectfully dropped into deep kowtows before the man in black, for this was a life-saving grace after all.

The newcomer was none other than Lu Changsheng. He had arrived in the Cloud Chart Mountain Range and spotted the three; saving them was merely a passing gesture.

According to Zhang Shu's mark on the map, the valley ought to be somewhere nearby, but he had refrained from using his Sense Domain for fear of alerting the flood dragon, so he had to search slowly.

"The Cloud Chart Mountain Range is dangerous. What brings you three here?" Lu Changsheng asked offhandedly.

These three were far too weak. Not even Martial Venerables, and they dared come to the Cloud Chart Mountain Range? This was practically its core zone, where any random spirit beast could rival a Martial Venerable. For the three of them to come here was to walk to their own deaths.

"Senior, our master's mind suffered a grievous wound, and his injury has worsened. We came seeking a Nine-Leaf Lotus to treat him," the three answered respectfully.

"A Nine-Leaf Lotus?" Lu Changsheng looked ahead and saw a stalk of Nine-Leaf Lotus.

"This one?" Lu Changsheng asked.

"Yes, that's it."

Lu Changsheng reached out and plucked the Nine-Leaf Lotus. The three's eyes burned with longing at the sight of it.

"You must have been in the Cloud Chart Mountain Range for some time now. Since you’ve been searching for the Nine-Leaf Lotus, you've surely combed through a good part of it. Tell me, do you know of a valley nearby?" Lu Changsheng asked.

"A valley?" The three racked their memories. "I've got it. I remember a valley to the southwest, roughly ten li from here."

Lu Changsheng nodded at that. A valley was all he needed.

"The Nine-Leaf Lotus is yours. Now, leave quickly. This is no place for you. There's a flood dragon sacred beast nearby. If it wakes up, you won't be able to leave even if you want to..."

With that, Lu Changsheng transformed into a streak of light and shot off toward the southwest.

The three were left staring at one another. "A flood dragon sacred beast..."

A shudder ran through them. That was a terrifying spirit beast rivaling a Martial Saint. A creature that dreadful actually lurked nearby? They were indeed extremely lucky that they crossed paths with such an expert in the Cloud Chart Mountain Range.

"The Nine-Leaf Lotus!"

"Alright, let's get out of here now."

"I wonder who that senior was? He didn't seem like a Martial Saint senior. If anything, he felt like a Divine Ability martial artist. But he slew a ten-thousand-year black crocodile with a wave of his hand. How strong must he be?"

"What's more, that senior clearly knew a flood dragon was here, yet he stayed to search for something. If he isn't a Martial Saint, he can't be far from one."

"Sigh, he saved our lives, but he didn’t leave a name. We'll never be able to repay him..."

The three sighed for a while, and then they hurried out of the Cloud Chart Mountain Range. They had already obtained the Nine-Leaf Lotus, after all.

Lu Changsheng paid the three Divine Ability martial artists no further mind. Saving them had cost him no more than a wave of his hand, and finding the valley was what mattered most. They had pointed him in the right direction, so the rescue had not been for nothing.

He flew southwest for a full ten li until, at last, a valley came into view. The valley was ordinary and unremarkable, with a small creek trickling gently through it. Nothing about it looked the least bit extraordinary; it was hard to imagine a Void Divine Stone vein buried beneath it.

Lu Changsheng descended into the valley and stopped. He looked around and found no trace of the flood dragon.

"Perhaps it's left for the moment," Lu Changsheng muttered.

What Lu Changsheng wanted now was to confirm whether a Void Divine Stone vein truly lay beneath the valley. That was the most important thing!

He did not want to make any big moves; merely confirming the vein's existence was simple enough. So, with a thought, he slowly spread his Sense Domain downward, blanketing the valley before pushing deep underground.

The Sense Domain could not reach very far below the surface; past a certain depth, it could sense nothing at all. But for merely detecting a Void Divine Stone vein, Lu Changsheng's Sense Domain was more than sufficient.

A moment later, his heart stirred. Beneath the valley lay vast quantities of Void Divine Stone, and he also keenly sensed the presence of a Void Divine Stone vein.

"According to Zhang Shu, this vein is still gestating, which very likely means the Void Divine Crystal hasn't been consumed yet. It seems like I need to hurry. The longer I delay, the more of the Void Divine Crystal this vein will devour. A pity there's no way to find the crystal quietly. I'll have to use my divine ability! And once I do, it may rouse a good number of spirit beasts, especially that flood dragon!"

Lu Changsheng understood his situation perfectly well. To obtain the Void Divine Crystal, he would most likely have to face the flood dragon. But how could he walk away without even trying?

The next moment, Lu Changsheng rose into the air. He gazed down at the valley below, and then a thought flashed through his mind. Divine ability, Five Elements Decomposition!

Rumble.

When Lu Changsheng unleashed Five Elements Decomposition, the earth quaked, and a terrifying aura swept outward in every direction.

The divine ability's power shook heaven and earth, all the more so since Lu Changsheng was using it to "mine." The valley was vast, but under the bombardment of his Five Elements Decomposition, it rapidly "collapsed," caving in as though a gigantic abyss were forming in the middle of it.

Lu Changsheng had no fear whatsoever of damaging the Void Divine Crystal. Neither the crystal nor the Void Divine Stone belonged to the five elements.

Even now, as the divine ability tore through the ground and decomposed it outright, the Void Divine Stones simply lay exposed, one after another, before Lu Changsheng's eyes.

Lu Changsheng did not stand on ceremony. Void Divine Stone was extremely valuable and could be sold at any time; even if he never found the Void Divine Crystal, the stones alone would earn him a fortune.

So, he stuffed the Void Divine Stones into his spatial treasure without pause. their numbers only grew, yet the Void Divine Crystal was still nowhere to be seen.

Lu Changsheng knew that how quickly he found the Void Divine Crystal came down purely to luck. He could only hope his luck held and the crystal turned up soon.

The commotion of an immeasurable divine ability at work, however, did not go unnoticed, and nearby spirit beasts discovered him at once.

Furious howls of spirit beasts rose one after another.

Roaaaar! Roaaar! Roaaar!

A brief sweep of Lu Changsheng's senses picked out five or six spirit beasts charging toward the valley, each carrying a dreadful aura. Every one of them could likely rival a Martial Venerable!

That was no surprise; any spirit beast that could hold territory deep in the Cloud Chart Mountain Range would hardly be mediocre. They were bound to be tremendously powerful, with fearsome bloodlines.

The spirit beasts had barely closed within a hundred zhang of Lu Changsheng when he decided he could not be bothered with them.

With a buzz, a colossal Mental Black Hole materialized in an instant. At the same moment, the five or six spirit beasts shuddered violently, terror flashing through their eyes, and then their consciousness was annihilated on the spot.

With several thuds, the corpses of the spirit beasts crashed heavily to the ground, all life gone from them. They were unmistakably dead.

With a wave of his hand, Lu Changsheng had exterminated five or six spirit beasts that rivaled Martial Venerables. He had not even forged his Saint Body yet, but dealing with Martial Venerables could not have been easier. It was as easy as slaughtering chickens and dogs, as effortless as flipping his palm!

That was no exaggeration; the spirit beast corpses were proof enough. What's more, he had done it all while his Five Elements Decomposition divine ability was still busy "mining."

A few more spirit beasts had been charging over as well, but upon seeing the fate of those before them, they skidded to an abrupt halt.

As spirit beasts rivaling Martial Venerables, their intelligence was hardly lacking. They clearly recognized that the martial artist before them was not to be provoked. Yet they did not dare leave either.

Instead, they prowled the perimeter, encircling Lu Changsheng, as if waiting for something.

"Waiting for that flood dragon, are they?"

Lu Changsheng saw through the spirit beasts' intent at a glance. Nearly all the spirit beasts around the valley were the flood dragon’s underlings.

"So the flood dragon really has left the valley for the moment. Good luck on my part, but I'd better hurry..." Lu Changsheng relaxed a little.

The fact that the spirit beasts merely encircled him without attacking proved the flood dragon was not near the valley, did it not? His luck was not bad. At the very least, he could "mine" in peace for a while.

So, Lu Changsheng threw nearly everything into the digging, unleashing Five Elements Decomposition several times over, and even releasing other divine techniques as well. Whatever would speed things up, he used them all.