"Hah..."
When Su Min opened her eyes, she was met with a pair of pitch-black, gleaming eyes staring straight at her.
"You forfeited?"
Looking at the person in front of her, Su Min sighed helplessly. It had been three or four days since that battle, and she had finally purged all the residual medicinal energy from her body while recovering from her injuries. Since the Golden Core Heavenly Ranking hadn't forcibly pulled her into another match, it meant Xie Yingying had withdrawn after defeating her opponent.
"That's right. I left the opportunity to you. Otherwise, in your current state, fighting me would force you to reveal all your remaining trump cards."
Xie Yingying shook her head. Truthfully, Su Min had only needed a single day to recover from her injuries—thanks to the Eastern Azure Wood's enhancement of her physique, which was no joke. But if they were to fight now, Su Min wouldn't be able to rely on those two pills again. The third one was still usable, as its side effects could be ignored.
"I thought you'd slack off, but you fought even harder than I did."
Xie Yingying smirked, looking at Su Min with amusement.
"I had no choice. To obtain that thing, I had to go all out."
Su Min rubbed her temples. She had wanted to take it easy, but reality simply wouldn't allow it. That reward was far too important.
"I see. So after the Golden Core Avenue ends, you'll be searching for other divine artifacts, right? After all, awakening the full power of the Five Elements Holy Body is the key."
"That's not something I can rush. But once we leave here, the first thing we need to do is reach the Nascent Soul stage."
"To deal with the Blood Puppet Sect's retaliation?"
"They're just a minor issue. At most, they've sealed a few Nascent Soul cultivators and one Soul Transformation ancestor."
Su Min's brow furrowed. In the game, the Golden Core Avenue had only been an interlude. The true second chapter would begin only after the world underwent another upheaval.
"A minor issue?"
"Have you ever heard of the Fallen Immortals?"
"Hm?"
Xie Yingying's expression darkened. She didn't understand, but the name alone told her it was nothing good.
The Fallen Immortals weren't actual immortals—they were cultivators. The first three realms—Body Refining, Qi Refining, and Foundation Establishment—were considered the lower tiers. At these stages, the cost of sealing oneself to avoid the Heavenly Tribulation wasn't exorbitant, and the differences weren't vast. Thus, many, including Xie Yingying herself, had chosen to be sealed at this level.
Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and Soul Transformation made up the middle tiers. The cost of sealing oneself at these stages grew exponentially—especially for Soul Transformation cultivators, who represented the upper limit of self-sealing.
Even ancient sects could only afford to seal one or two Soul Transformation experts. Beyond that? Impossible. But Soul Transformation wasn't the peak. Those who surpassed it were simply too powerful—no sealing crystal could contain them. If they wished to survive, they had only one option:
Sever their cultivation. Sever their foundation.
Like the Demon Queen, they would cut away their strength, reducing themselves to the peak of Soul Transformation. Yet, due to their accumulated power, even after such a sacrifice, their combat prowess would far exceed that of ordinary Soul Transformation cultivators.
This method was the most stable. And when the world underwent its next transformation, they would re-emerge as apex beings. But such a sacrifice came at a price. To recover, they needed to devour all living things.
~Edit and rewritten by Rikhi, Reiya_Alberich, ReiNyam~
That would herald the true Age of Darkness. The chaos brought by Demon Queen would pale in comparison. After all, the Demon Queen had only resorted to self-severing because she was too weak to obtain enough sealing crystals. But those who had once stood at the pinnacle? They had the means to gather the resources needed to seal themselves at the Soul Transformation level.
Thus, the second chapter of the game revolved around these beings—the true instigators of the Dark Calamity, the Fallen Immortals.
No matter how mighty or noble they had once been, they would now stand against all life. And among the countless mortals, cultivators were the most nourishing prey. Devouring a hundred thousand mortals couldn't compare to consuming a single Golden Core cultivator.
"Let me ask you—did your Heavenly Yin Sect ever have anyone who surpassed Divine Transformation?"
Xie Yingying hesitated before answering.
"We had one ancestor who did."
"And when faced with the Heavenly Decay, what did they do?"
"After sealing me away, they accepted their fate."
"And what of those who refused to accept it? Those unwilling to sever everything like Yao Xian'er or take the Buddhist path of reincarnation?"
"!!!"
Xie Yingying's face paled as realization struck.
"Sever their cultivation. Sever their foundation. Reduce themselves to the peak of Divine Transformation. Then, when the world reopens, feast upon all living beings to restore what they lost."
Su Min's voice was icy.
"That will be the true Age of Blood. Surviving that storm will be a miracle. But there's one silver lining—those beings are sealed so deeply that it'll take at least a century for them to emerge."
Xie Yingying shuddered. The strongest cultivators in the current era were barely at Divine Transformation. Against such monsters, the world would drown in blood.
"Why have I never heard of this?"
Her voice trembled.
"Because all living things are nothing more than livestock to them. But that's not something we need to worry about yet."
Su Min fell silent. The later stages of the game would be filled with despair, but not without hope. That was why Su Min had to proceed step by step. Xie Yingying studied Su Min's calm expression and let out a quiet sigh of relief. If Su Min wasn't despairing, then neither would she.
However, there was one thing Su Min hadn't mentioned: The Fallen Immortals wouldn't emerge all at once. If a sect had a Divine Transformation protector and inherited treasures, they could remain stable for a considerable time.
The Eastern Mulberry Island had the Little Golden Crow and the entire Golden Crow Clan's legacy, so self-preservation wouldn't be an issue—though expansion would be impossible.
Thus, no matter what, Su Min had to grow stronger. And hunting those fallen cultivators wasn't without benefits—their essence and treasures were invaluable.
So while Su Min was wary, she wasn't afraid. As long as she could fully awaken her Five Elements Holy Body before the third chapter arrived, there would still be hope. Otherwise, true suffering would begin. Her time wasn't limitless, but it wasn't hopeless either.
Meanwhile, in a small forest within the Golden Core Avenue...
A figure in white robes hovered in the air, a celestial Gossip of Eight Trigrams rotating above her head.
"Her origins are completely untraceable—shrouded in chaos."
Yao Xian'er's brows knitted tightly.
"My laws are already perfected. The first-place reward means little to me. I could concede it to her, but..."
Her eyes narrowed.
"True power isn't obtained through charity. If she wants it, she'll have to take it from me."
A spark of anticipation ignited within her. The final battle was coming. And the entire Golden Core Avenue was waiting.
The Next Day
The moment the Golden Core Avenue reopened, crowds flooded in.
The Lunar Sovereign Body's forfeiture had left everyone speculating. Since Su Min and Xie Yingying were inseparable, Xie Yingying's withdrawal could only mean one thing—
Su Min still had an unbeatable card.
Many claimed that the three supreme physiques stood above the rest. But above even them was one exception—Yao Xian'er.
When Su Min had fought three opponents at once, she'd been severely injured. The Great Desolate Sacred Body had been chased into embarrassing retreats.
But Yao Xian'er?
Every opponent who faced her felt only one thing—
Invincibility.
Despite having the most ordinary physique imaginable, her strength defied all logic. Even the Great Desolate Holy Body had fallen in mere exchanges—without so much as scratching her. Some, like Su Min, had guessed her origins.
To sever all of one's cultivation and start anew?
Of ten such experts, perhaps one would have the resolve. It meant abandoning everything they'd worked for, facing untold dangers, and enduring endless tribulations. Those who succeeded usually owed their survival to rare, irreplicable fortunes. As the crowd buzzed with anticipation, two figures materialized in the vast arena.
"It's starting. Let's see how you handle her."
Tian Hao, still pale from his injuries, clenched his fists. Unlike Su Min, he wasn't an alchemist. His recovery had been slow. But since he'd lost, he wouldn't complain.
Instead, he was curious—
How would Su Min face that monster?