Chapter 353 – The Heavenly Abyss Army Is Formed, Su Xing’s Plan Begins!
by spirapiraChapter 353: The Heavenly Abyss Army Is Formed, Su Xing’s Plan Begins!
Su Xing let out a long sigh at this sight and murmured:
“Comprehending the Spirit Domain really is difficult!”
“A three-hundred-zhang (999 m) Spirit Domain… the range has indeed expanded more than tenfold compared to before!”
“But unfortunately… it still remains at the Spirit Domain level!”
Su Xing shook his head slightly.
With his current cultivation and breadth of experience, the Spirit Domain was no longer unfamiliar to him.
As far as Su Xing knew, the essence of the Spirit Domain was a cultivator using their own power to commune with the Great Dao of heaven and earth. It was the tangible manifestation of the Great Dao, concentrating myriad mighty forces into one body and using magical power as a medium to unleash all manner of profound wonders.
Therefore, the most intuitive measure of a Spirit Domain was its range!
The greater the range, the stronger the Spirit Domain!
Spirit Domains were divided into three tiers.
The lowest tier was simply called Spirit Domain.
Including the embryonic Spirit Domain, its range varied from several zhang to ten thousand zhang (33.3 km).
Above that was the Immortal Domain.
An Immortal Domain had a range of at least ten thousand zhang (33.3 km), and at its greatest could cover an entire minor world!
And the highest realm of the Spirit Domain was called “Immortal Kingdom”!
Using one’s own mighty power to envelop and contain an entire lesser chiliocosm.
The requirements for Dao comprehension and the cultivator’s abilities were extremely high…
Every single person who had reached the Immortal Kingdom realm was a Grand Luo Golden Immortal!
And the most powerful being Su Xing knew of who had cultivated the Immortal Kingdom to its highest level was none other than the Luotian Ancestor…
“With my current foundation, the Immortal Kingdom is still far too distant… and even the Immortal Domain is quite a long way off!”
“My current goal is to expand the Spirit Domain’s range as quickly as possible! The greater the range, the stronger the abilities! And the more terrifying the power unleashed through the Great Dao!”
Su Xing already had a goal in mind.
His gaze returned to the simulation panel.
【Over the following decades, you continued to stay in the Fourth Heaven, cultivating your Spirit Domain while practicing body tempering daily. Your cultivation grew ever more stable.】
【Year 450. This year, your embryonic Spirit Domain reached a radius of over five hundred zhang (1.67 km), and its power increased further.】
【Year 470. One day, you felt your physical body break through a layer of shackles, and your strength and vitality surged tremendously.】
【Congratulations — the Great Shaman Body Forging Art has successfully advanced to Fourth Layer Perfection!】
In the Real World, Su Xing let out a long breath of relief at this.
“The Great Shaman Body Forging Art has finally reached Fourth Layer Perfection… I’m only one step away from reaching the fifth layer!”
“However, the five-hundred-year deadline isn’t far off… perhaps it’s time to make an attempt!”
From his previous simulations, Su Xing had determined that in the Nine Heavens Domain, the higher the level, the stronger the shielding of karmic secrets.
Su Xing’s idea was to try entering the Fifth Heaven and see if he could evade Qingyunzi’s divination!
“The Fifth Heaven… only those at the Golden Immortal realm or above can enter!”
“The void aura there is extremely powerful… if not a Golden Immortal powerhouse, then perhaps a peak Mystic Immortal realm cultivator might have a slim chance of passing through safely…”
“I wonder — with my current strength, can I give it a try?”
Su Xing was somewhat eager. If he could enter the Fifth Heaven, he might be able to extend the simulation duration by several decades or even over a century.
Thinking this, Su Xing turned his gaze to the simulation panel.
【Year 473. After stabilizing your Great Shaman Body Forging Art, Fourth Layer (Perfection) cultivation, you decided to attempt a journey to the Fifth Heaven.】
【You released your Protective Sword Aura, activated the spatial Dao, and with your extraordinarily powerful physical body, headed toward the Fifth Heaven…】
【In the blink of an eye, several years passed.】
【You arrived at the terrifying void aura that separated the Fourth and Fifth Heavens. Its power was several times greater than that of the Fourth Heaven.】
【You took a deep breath, raised your Spirit Domain, activated your Protective Sword Aura, and charged into the void aura.】
【The moment you stepped into the void aura, you felt its terrifying destructive force.】
【The Spirit Domain you were maintaining at full power rapidly shrank and collapsed. Every strand of void aura was no less powerful than a full-force strike from a peak Mystic Immortal realm cultivator.】
【Seeing this, you hastily deployed the Five Elements Dao, using the Five Elements Mutual Generation technique to form a barrier that firmly protected you.】
【Simultaneously, Protective Sword Aura poured forth, swirling around your body.】
【But the void aura’s power was simply too terrifying. After traveling for less than a single hour, more than half of your defensive measures had already dissipated.】
【You knew in your heart that the remaining time was absolutely not enough for you to reach the Fifth Heaven.】
【The only option now was to retreat, back to the Fourth Heaven…】
【And so, barely sustaining your Protective Hardened Qi and enduring the sensation of knives carving into your flesh, you frantically retreated along the path you had come…】
【By the time you escaped back to the Fourth Heaven, you were covered in wounds.】
【Your entire left leg and right arm had been severed at the root. Over a hundred wounds had appeared across your chest, and you were on the verge of death…】
【Mustering your last breath, you found a safe location and began recovering from your injuries.】
【Fortunately, your vitality had already grown to an astonishing degree.】
【Your severed limbs regenerated in mere moments, and the wounds on your body healed between breaths…】
【For this, you expended many healing treasures and a great deal of primordial energy…】
【But in the end, you survived.】
【You understood that with your current strength, you were not yet capable of exploring the Fifth Heaven. And so, you obediently remained in the Fourth Heaven to cultivate.】
In the Real World, Su Xing let out a long breath of relief at this.
“Phew, I was too hasty after all!”
“To enter the Fifth Heaven, I probably need to advance my body tempering cultivation further. The fifth layer of the Great Shaman Body Forging Art is a must!”
“Beyond that, I need stronger defensive measures… otherwise, even if I enter the Fifth Heaven, I won’t be able to move a single step!”
“The Protective Sword Aura — it’s time for it to advance further as well…”
Su Xing already had ideas forming in his mind. His gaze turned to the simulation panel.
【Year 480. You returned to the Fourth Heaven, preparing to continue your cultivation there.】
【And so, twenty years passed in the blink of an eye…】
【Year 500. This year, your Spirit Domain reached a radius of six hundred zhang (2 km), more powerful than ever before…】
【That same year, Qingyunzi found you…】
【You died!】
【Ding — this simulation has ended!】
After the simulation ended, Su Xing sighed helplessly.
“It seems I was still a little short!”
“But once my strength grows further, I should be able to reach the Fifth Heaven… there are surely even more precious Secret Realms there!”
Su Xing felt a surge of anticipation.
But for now, he should first check the rewards from this simulation.
His gaze fell upon the reward list.
【Mystic Yin Physique】: gold talent. Price: 10 origin energy.
【Great Shaman Body Forging Scripture, Fourth Layer (Perfection)】: An ancient Wu Clan body tempering method. Cultivating to the fourth layer grants limb regeneration, inexhaustible blood essence, and greatly enhanced endurance. Price: 600,000 origin energy.
【True Immortal Realm, Fifth Layer】: Having survived the Three Calamities of Immortals, you have achieved True Immortal status. The Great Dao beckons, and your lifespan extends to one full cosmic cycle! Price: 600,000 origin energy!
【Spirit Domain Cultivation Results】: Upon selection, comprehension of the Spirit Domain greatly increases. Grants control over a six-hundred-zhang (2 km) Spirit Domain. Price: 60,000 origin energy.
Su Xing didn’t hesitate, silently reciting:
“I choose to bring out the Great Shaman Body Forging Art, Fourth Layer Perfection… and the Spirit Domain Cultivation Results!”
【Congratulations on successfully bringing out the Great Shaman Body Forging Art, Fourth Layer (Perfection) cultivation. Cost: 600,000 origin energy. Remaining origin energy: 1,845,401 points…】
【Congratulations on successfully bringing out the Spirit Domain Cultivation Results… Cost: 60,000 origin energy. Remaining origin energy: 1,785,401 points…】
As two consecutive notification chimes sounded, the aura around Su Xing began to change rapidly.
In mere moments, Su Xing’s physical body surged to the True Immortal Perfection level, with his strength, vitality, and everything else greatly enhanced.
And beyond the Great Shaman Body Forging Art, Su Xing also sensed another energy within his body growing rapidly!
The Spirit Domain!
Su Xing slowly closed his eyes, and after a moment opened them again. With a thought, a mysterious energy instantly enveloped the space within a six-hundred-zhang (2 km) radius.
“The Spirit Domain — one of the most crucial elements in combat between cultivators… One who does not cultivate the Spirit Domain may not necessarily be weak, but every great and powerful cultivator has undoubtedly achieved mastery in the way of the Spirit Domain!”
The reasoning was simple.
If two cultivators clashed and one possessed a Spirit Domain while the other did not, the advantage would be absolutely overwhelming.
Because once you lacked a Spirit Domain and entered your opponent’s, you were essentially at their complete mercy.
Only when both parties possessed Spirit Domains of comparable strength could they truly compete on equal footing.
“The way of the Spirit Domain… I still have a long way to go…”
Su Xing shook his head slightly and murmured.
“All three simulation chances have been used up. It’s time to head to that place!”
…
Three days later. Celestial Demon City, Lesser Azure Cloud Realm.
This was a city shrouded in killing intent and darkness.
Drawing near to Celestial Demon City, even the clouds in the sky seemed to darken by three shades.
Su Xing had already altered his appearance, transforming into a burly middle-aged cultivator with a scar across his face.
This was Su Xing’s third disguise, under the alias Jiang Hao!
Su Xing had been in Celestial Demon City for two and a half days now. During that time, he had gained a certain understanding of the city.
Therefore, Su Xing was ready to begin implementing his plan here.
“Well then — first, let’s go verify my identity at Celestial Demon City and secure a certain status!”
Su Xing narrowed his eyes, gazing at a military tent in the distance.
Quite a few cultivators were lined up waiting there, while a squad of armor-clad cultivators was registering something.
Celestial Demon City — the frontline enlistment station!
Su Xing did not bother queuing. He strode directly toward the front of the line.
When he reached the very front, Su Xing grabbed the cultivator at the head of the line and yanked him aside, then took his place at the first position as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“I — Jiang Hao — am here to enlist!”
Su Xing made an effort to maintain his disguise persona, speaking as few words as possible.
The cultivator Su Xing had tossed aside was livid with rage.
He was about to rise and fight back, but upon seeing Su Xing’s towering and imposing physique, along with the killing intent in his eyes, he immediately shrank back and slunk to the end of the line.
As for the Hekatontarchs handling registration, after witnessing Su Xing’s astonishing presence, they did not reprimand him for cutting in line.
Instead, they first sized Su Xing up. When they realized they couldn’t see through Su Xing’s cultivation, they exclaimed in astonishment:
“Fellow Daoist, could it be that you have already become an immortal?”
The moment these words left their mouths, the cultivators in the line behind erupted into a brief commotion.
Although this was the recruitment station for Celestial Demon City’s military, it was exceedingly rare for an immortal to come enlist.
The occasional Body Integration or Mahayana stage cultivator was already a rare sight.
In fact, immortals had absolutely no need to go through the standard registration process — they could leverage their own connections to directly become officers in the army.
Su Xing glanced briefly at the astonished cultivators behind him and gave a slight nod.
“This old man has been an immortal for ten thousand years now…”
Upon first hearing Su Xing’s words, the two Hekatontarchs didn’t immediately react.
But then, realization dawned on them.
Wait — an immortal for ten thousand years…
A Human Immortal only lived some ten thousand years, and having lived for over ten thousand years would mean their lifespan was nearing its end — their magical power in disarray, their blood essence withered.
But look at the cultivator before them — ten thousand years as an immortal… and still in the prime of his life!
Could this be… an Earthly Immortal realm cultivator?!
Thinking of this, the two Hekatontarchs exchanged glances, their hearts surging with excitement.
The Earthly Immortal realm—that was the level of a commander in Celestial Demon City!
A truly important figure!
As for the even higher Celestial Immortal… they didn’t dare think that far.
And so, the two Hekatontarchs bowed respectfully toward Su Xing and said:
“Esteemed senior, please wait here for a moment… we shall return shortly!”
After Su Xing nodded in agreement, the two Hekatontarchs abandoned the several hundred cultivators lined up behind them and walked straight toward a certain direction within the city.
Roughly a quarter of an hour later, the two Hekatontarchs returned, and behind them followed a commander clad in silver armor!
A commander of Celestial Demon City, with Earthly Immortal realm strength!
Within all of Celestial Demon City, such figures commanded the utmost respect!
This commander was stern-faced and humorless. After carefully sizing up Su Xing, he froze.
A moment later, he asked probingly:
“Senior, you… are you a Celestial Immortal?”
Clearly, even this Earthly Immortal commander had been unable to see through Su Xing’s true depth.
Upon hearing the commander’s words, the Hekatontarchs behind him, along with the cultivators waiting in line, erupted into even greater commotion.
“A… Celestial Immortal?”
“It’s actually a Celestial Immortal realm senior!”
“Holy shit, I’ve lived over a thousand years and this is my first time seeing a Celestial Immortal!”
These murmurs of discussion drifted into Su Xing’s ears.
Su Xing merely smiled faintly, neither confirming nor denying.
And this made the Earthly Immortal commander lose his composure entirely.
According to the rules of the cultivation world, as an Earthly Immortal, he was not supposed to address a Celestial Immortal cultivator directly—doing so would be considered disrespectful.
Because Su Xing was seeking to join Celestial Demon City, if Su Xing was indeed a Celestial Immortal, then Celestial Demon City sending merely an Earthly Immortal to speak with him would be an insult!
Thus, the silver-armored commander removed his helmet, bowed to Su Xing, and said:
“Please wait a moment, senior. There happens to be a general in the city right now. Allow me to invite him here for a meeting…”
With that, the silver-armored commander hurried away, leaving behind a crowd of bewildered onlookers.
Su Xing said nothing, simply standing in place and waiting quietly.
After roughly another half quarter-hour, a Celestial Immortal general arrived.
He carried an innate aura of authority that made the subordinates behind him dare not even breathe loudly.
Upon seeing Su Xing, he first looked him over carefully, then his expression began to shift.
A moment later, the general asked probingly:
“Senior… could it be that you are a True Immortal?”
This time, Su Xing didn’t keep them guessing. He nodded and said:
“Indeed. Several thousand years ago, this old man had already reached the True Immortal realm…”
“Now, after emerging from a period of secluded cultivation, I find that the Lesser Azure Cloud Realm is already on the brink of collapse. Therefore, this old man wishes to come to Celestial Demon City and lend it my strength!”
Hearing Su Xing’s words, the general’s face immediately lit up with wild joy as he hastily replied:
“With your esteemed self joining us, our Celestial Demon City will surely be able to resist the foreign races and gain the upper hand!”
Su Xing smiled without responding.
After a moment of hesitation, the general said:
“Senior, might I ask you to accompany me to the City Lord’s mansion? It is not that I mean any disrespect… but rather, your cultivation level…”
Su Xing naturally understood what this Celestial Immortal meant.
In Celestial Demon City, aside from that hidden avatar of the Celestial Demon General, the highest-ranking figure was merely a single True Immortal.
And the Celestial Demon General didn’t concern himself with worldly affairs—he only intercepted foreign races and powerful enemies that threatened Celestial Demon City.
This meant there was only one True Immortal City Lord present.
And the City Lord managed countless affairs daily, perhaps even in secluded cultivation. It would not be appropriate to summon him directly.
Hence, they wanted Su Xing to go to the City Lord’s mansion first.
Su Xing nodded in agreement after hearing this. “Very well then, lead the way!”
Upon hearing Su Xing’s agreement, the Celestial Immortal general’s face beamed with delight, and he led Su Xing toward the City Lord’s mansion.
After Su Xing departed, the cultivators on the training grounds—those in line and those watching the spectacle—all erupted!
“A True Immortal realm cultivator!”
“Celestial Demon City has gained another True Immortal realm cultivator!”
“Hahahaha… such tremendous news! I must tell my friends and family, throw a banquet!”
In no time, the several hundred cultivators on the training grounds spread the news of Celestial Demon City gaining another True Immortal throughout the entire city.
And this was precisely Su Xing’s goal!
What Su Xing was doing was for the purpose of recruiting the Heavenly Abyss Army. Naturally, he first needed to make a name for himself!
And the mouths of the masses were the best means of spreading word!
This was exactly why Su Xing had made such a grand entrance—it was all to better recruit talent in the future.
And now, Su Xing’s plan had already been set into motion…
…
Before long, Su Xing arrived at the City Lord’s mansion of Celestial Demon City and met the True Immortal City Lord.
This True Immortal City Lord was powerfully built and was a dual cultivator of qi and body.
His qi cultivation was only at the Celestial Immortal level, but his body cultivation had already reached the late-stage True Immortal realm.
After carefully sizing up Su Xing, the City Lord asked probingly:
“Brother, what exactly is your cultivation level?”
After thinking for a moment, Su Xing replied:
“A thousand years ago, this old man was already at the peak of the True Immortal realm in body cultivation… As of now, the breakthrough to the next realm may not be far off.”
Hearing Su Xing’s words, the City Lord’s face immediately broke into ecstatic joy, and several words burst from his lips:
“Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful! How wonderful!”
“Hahahaha, the heavens bless the Lesser Azure Cloud Realm! With you joining us, brother, we can surely keep the foreign races outside the Lesser Azure Cloud Realm!”
This True Immortal City Lord was genuinely overjoyed.
A peak True Immortal powerhouse—the role such a figure could play on the battlefield was self-evident!
It would not be an exaggeration to say he could match over a dozen Celestial Immortal powerhouses…
After rejoicing for a while, the City Lord thought for a moment and said:
“Brother Jiang… it’s not that I mean any disrespect, but according to protocol, there is still an examination that must be conducted…”
Su Xing nodded slightly upon hearing this.
He naturally knew what examination the City Lord was referring to.
It was simply to test whether Su Xing was a heretical cultivator or not…
And this kind of test was not complicated.
The City Lord produced a white stone and handed it to Su Xing.
Su Xing placed his hand upon it, and after a moment, several wisps of blood-red color appeared on the stone.
Seeing these few threads of crimson, the City Lord let out a sigh of relief, the smile on his face growing even more radiant.
This stone could detect the karma and killing intent on a cultivator’s body…
If it was merely the result of ordinary disputes and kills between cultivators, as long as the numbers weren’t too excessive, only a few wisps of blood-red would appear.
But if black appeared, that would be karmic debt!
What was karmic debt?
Those who slaughtered the innocent would accrue karmic debt!
In simple terms, if a cultivator acted on personal desires to wantonly massacre ordinary people, karmic debt would be born!
And if one accumulated too much karmic debt, they would be judged a heretical cultivator!
As for where heretical cultivators ended up, that went without saying.
Either they were taken in by the Advent Cult, or they lurked among rogue cultivators, fleeing for the rest of their lives.
Celestial Demon City recruited generals and soldiers without regard for background.
As long as one’s cultivation was sufficient and they were not a traitor to the human race, they could join Celestial Demon City and fight the foreign races together!
After verifying that Su Xing was no heretical cultivator, the True Immortal City Lord grew even more enthusiastic and said to Su Xing:
“Brother Jiang, the position of Vice City Lord in our Celestial Demon City is still vacant. Why don’t you, if you don’t mind the slight inconvenience, take up this position for now?”
The position of Vice City Lord of Celestial Demon City was a figure of supreme authority, not just within Celestial Demon City but across the entire Lesser Azure Cloud Realm.
But upon hearing this, Su Xing merely smiled without a word.
That smile alone made the Celestial Demon City Lord’s heart skip a beat.
After a moment of internal struggle, he clenched his jaw and said:
“Brother Jiang, with your strength, you are fully qualified to be the City Lord of Celestial Demon City!”
“In Celestial Demon City, strength reigns supreme! Your cultivation surpasses mine, brother… I should be the one serving as Vice City Lord!”
Su Xing was momentarily stunned, then shook his head and said:
“You’ve misunderstood my intent…”
“I have not come to Celestial Demon City out of greed for the City Lord’s seat!”
“What I wish for is the right to act independently, to recruit cultivators on my own, to form my own army, and to help Celestial Demon City fight the foreign races together!”
“Of course, I do have my conditions. Because I’ve been in secluded cultivation for too long, I still have some personal matters to attend to in the Lesser Azure Cloud Realm… Therefore, I cannot remain in Celestial Demon City at all times. This needs to be stated upfront.”
After hearing Su Xing’s words, the Celestial Demon City Lord mulled it over and was about to respond.
But Su Xing continued:
“Naturally, forming my own army that falls under Celestial Demon City but is not directly commanded by it—I admit this is somewhat presumptuous…”
“Therefore, I promise the City Lord this: within every ten-year period, the army I lead will slay one million foreign race creatures below the Emperor level, ten thousand Saint-stage foreign race creatures… and no fewer than one thousand God-level foreign race entities!”
“These are my conditions!”
After hearing Su Xing’s words, what was there for the Celestial Demon City Lord to hesitate about?
One million foreign race creatures below the Emperor level slain!
That number alone nearly rivaled the total kill count of all of Celestial Demon City!
As for a thousand God-level foreign race entities… were there even a thousand God-level foreign race entities on the entire Celestial Demon City front line?
The City Lord had his doubts.
But the conditions Su Xing proposed were simply too generous, so the City Lord didn’t hesitate and replied directly:
“What Brother Jiang proposes is perfectly acceptable!”
“In that case, this City Lord agrees!”
Before long, Su Xing and the Celestial Demon City Lord signed a contract, and Su Xing gained the authority to independently recruit cultivators within Celestial Demon City.
…
The next day, the news that True Immortal Jiang Hao had come to Celestial Demon City and established the “Heavenly Abyss Army” to recruit soldiers spread throughout the entire city.
Quite a few rogue cultivators who were confident in their cultivation eagerly prepared to try their luck.
Anyone with half a brain could see that Jiang Hao was about to become a rising power within Celestial Demon City!
To be among the first batch to join under a True Immortal—what an honor that would be!
And so, within Celestial Demon City, thousands of cultivators at the Spirit Transformation stage and above were itching with anticipation.
Yet Su Xing, the subject of all this attention, was in no rush to recruit. Instead, he left Celestial Demon City alone and came to a stop at a great mountain range five hundred thousand li (250,000 km) outside the city.
“Within Celestial Demon City, the Celestial Demon General exists after all!”
“If I were to break through to the Fifth Layer of the Great Shaman Body Forging Art right there, it would inevitably attract attention…”
“So it’s safer to run my simulation here!”
After a pause, Su Xing continued:
“Besides, what matters most is whether the next step of my plan can be successfully carried out—it’s time to give it a try!”
On March 24th, 2026 of the New Era, Su Xing began a new round of simulation.
“Begin simulation!”