Chapter 461 – Red Mythical-Grade Talent ‘Heaven and Earth as Formation,’ A New Simulation Begins!

Chapter 461: Red Mythical-Grade Talent ‘Heaven and Earth as Formation,’ A New Simulation Begins!

【Simulation #172 initiated. Current remaining origin energy: 20,044,992 points… Remaining simulation attempts: 0.】

【Simulation begins!】

【Drawing a talent costs 1 origin energy point. Draw?】

“Yes!”

【Ding! Congratulations, you have drawn the red talent ‘Heaven and Earth as Formation.’ Next draw probability: 80% for gold talent, 20% for red talent…】

【Heaven and Earth as Formation】: Red talent. Your aptitude for the Formation Dao has reached its absolute pinnacle. If you dedicate your life to this path, you can walk to the very ends of heaven and earth, using heaven and earth themselves as your formation — even Great Firmament Golden Immortals can be trapped and slain.

“It’s finally appeared — a red talent!”

Su Xing’s eyes lit up. Heaven and Earth as Formation — this was a Formation Dao talent from the Hundred Arts of Immortal Cultivation!

But unlike alchemy and artifact refinement…

The Formation Dao could directly enhance a cultivator’s combat power!

If one walked the Formation Dao to its very end, they would be no weaker than a Great Firmament Golden Immortal!

In the ancient era, there had even been a Supreme Paragon of the Formation Dao who used heaven and earth as his formation and ultimately slew a Great Firmament Golden Immortal — a legendary feat!

“Tsk tsk… Heaven and Earth as Formation!”

“If I can truly delve into this Dao to its deepest depths, with adequate preparation… I’d probably be unrivaled beneath the Great Firmament level!”

“And if I’m fortunate enough to obtain a supreme formation passed down from the ancient era… I could even slaughter a Great Firmament Golden Immortal!”

Su Xing was extremely interested in this newly drawn red talent.

Moreover, thanks to the countless years of development in the cultivation world and the experiences left behind by innumerable prodigies and predecessors…

Among the Three Thousand Worlds, the upper limit of the Formation Dao was actually somewhat higher than even the Artifact Dao or the Alchemy Dao.

And the Formation Dao was also one of the most difficult Great Daos among the Hundred Arts of Immortal Cultivation…

“Currently, my comprehension of the Formation Dao has already reached the Paragon level…”

“Although climbing higher in the Formation Dao is difficult… I still have plenty of time to study in the period ahead!”

Su Xing murmured.

Before formally beginning the simulation, Su Xing recalled his current attribute panel.

【Name: Su Xing】

【Age: 25】

【Profession: Immortal Cultivator】

【Cultivation: Peak Golden Immortal Great Perfection, Great Shaman Body Forging Art, Sixth Layer Perfection】

【Techniques: Ruyi Visualization Diagram, Luotian Immortal Transformation Art, Zhengyi Breath Absorption Art, Great Shaman Body Forging Art, Celestial Star Observation Method (Beginner)】

【Talents: Pill Saint, Thousand Illusions, Heaven and Earth as Formation, Five Elements Holy Physique, Xenomorph, One More Shot, Heaven-Sent Fortune, Plus One, Innate Dao Physique, Ethereal Root, Spatial Origin Body, Late Bloomer, No Martial Virtue, Heaven Devourer, Innate Sword Physique, Unkillable Cockroach, Hundred Battles Divine Physique…】

【Skills: Void Slash (Minor Mastery), Spirit Realm (65,000 li (32,500 km)), Alchemy (Paragon), Artifact Refinement (Supreme Paragon), Five Elements Immortal Burst (Perfection), Shennong Spirit Cultivation Technique (Perfection), Divine Sense 8,000,000 li (Celestial Unity Realm), Protective Sword Aura (6400/8100), Formation Dao (Grandmaster), Sword-Controlling Technique (Perfection), Dao of Puppetry (Major Mastery), Various immortal techniques…】

【Great Dao Comprehension: Great Dao of Thunder (fifth realm), Five Elements Dao (sixth realm), Great Dao of the Sword (sixth realm), Great Dao of Speed (sixth realm), Dao of Strength (fourth realm), Great Dao of Destiny (fifth realm), Great Dao of Karma (fifth realm), Spatial Dao (sixth realm), Great Dao of Killing (fourth realm), Yin-Yang Great Dao (first realm)…】

【Special Physique: Heavenly Thunder Sacred Body】

At merely twenty-five years old, Su Xing had reached the peak of the Golden Immortal realm in both Qi Refinement and Body Tempering!

His actual combat power was even approaching mid-stage Supreme Unity Golden Immortal!

If other cultivators and immortals learned of such talent, they would be utterly astonished.

Since ancient times, there had probably never been a Golden Immortal as young as Su Xing in all of heaven and earth.

Of course… the actual years Su Xing had spent cultivating were naturally far more than twenty-five.

“After obtaining the Greater Celestial Cycle Star Observation Method, the greater and lesser versions merged into one — but it’s only at the beginner level?”

Su Xing looked at the techniques section of his panel and murmured:

“If the Celestial Star Observation Method advances to Minor Mastery, my Dao of Cause and Effect and Destiny could probably break through to the sixth realm!”

After a pause, Su Xing continued:

“As for the talents section… I already have a full eight red-level talents!”

“And gold-level talents number thirty to forty or more…”

“Any single one of these talents, taken on its own, could create a genius…”

“And with so many talents in my possession, I’ve truly become a statistical monster!”

“Within the same realm, I’m unrivaled across the ages… and fighting above my level is as routine as eating breakfast!”

A glint of confidence flashed through Su Xing’s eyes. His words were not self-flattery.

With so many talents, Su Xing truly had the capital to back up such claims!

“As for the Great Dao comprehension section, I’ve poured in countless amounts of effort…”

“A full ten Great Daos, of which Four — Five Elements, Sword, Space, and Speed — have already entered the sixth realm… but the rest still need improvement…”

Su Xing’s assessment of his current strength wasn’t born from pride, but from wanting to identify his weaknesses and address them.

“All ten Great Daos have significant utility…”

“In future simulations, I should push all of them to the sixth realm as much as possible!”

“And in the skills section, Void Slash still needs further cultivation, and the Protective Sword Aura’s upper limit is currently 8,100 strands, which also needs improvement…”

“Among the Hundred Arts of Immortal Cultivation, the ones most useful to me now — alchemy, formations, artifact refinement, talismans, and so on — also need further advancement!”

Su Xing’s mind churned with calculations as he continued:

“Supreme Unity Golden Immortals often cultivate for millions of years…”

“Especially those veteran Supreme Unity Golden Immortals, who have cultivated for over ten million years!”

“With my current strength, I can handle cultivators who’ve been in the Supreme Unity realm for less than a million years… but against those old veterans who’ve lived over five million years, it would be difficult!”

Su Xing estimated:

“However, if my cultivation advances to the Supreme Unity Golden Immortal realm, and the Great Shaman Body Forging Art also reaches the seventh layer… plus a few more of my ten Great Dao comprehensions rising to the sixth realm…”

“At that point, even those veteran Supreme Unity Golden Immortals would pose no pressure to me whatsoever!”

Su Xing narrowed his eyes, recalling the intelligence stored in his mind.

“Over the past tens of millions of years, the total number of Supreme Unity Golden Immortals alive across all Five Great Domains is no more than two to three hundred, right?”

“And among them, those who could be called veteran Supreme Unity Golden Immortals number only a few dozen…”

“The Prodigy List’s Heaven Ranking, established by the Celestial Secrets Pavilion… only Supreme Unity Golden Immortal cultivators qualify for the list.”

“Fairy Ziling was already among the best of all previous Earth Ranking first-place holders…”

“After advancing to Supreme Unity Golden Immortal, she was able to directly rank around eightieth on the Heaven Ranking… At that point, she should have possessed the combat power of a mid-stage Supreme Unity Golden Immortal, right?”

Su Xing made some rough calculations, then continued:

“The top fifty on the Prodigy List’s Heaven Ranking are basically all veteran Supreme Unity Golden Immortals, and many are cultivators stuck at Peak Supreme Unity Golden Immortal… needing just one opportunity to achieve the Great Firmament fruition and from then on roam freely between heaven and earth, enjoying a lifespan of hundreds of millions of years…”

“If things go smoothly, once both my Qi Refinement and Body Tempering enter the Supreme Unity realm, combined with continued advancement in my Great Dao comprehensions, my combat power should approach Late Supreme Unity Golden Immortal…”

“At that point, I should be able to barely rank around sixtieth on the Prodigy List’s Heaven Ranking, right?”

Su Xing’s eyes lit up.

Around sixtieth on the Heaven Ranking — that might not sound impressive, but it was actually astonishing.

Think about it: the Prodigy List’s Heaven Ranking was essentially a combat power ranking!

Around sixtieth on the Heaven Ranking meant that among all living cultivators — even including those Great Firmament Golden Immortals and Supreme Unity Golden Immortals who had withdrawn from the world — he would rank within the top one hundred of the entire human race in combat power!

That level of strength was typically reserved for the founding ancestors of the cultivation world’s top-tier, first-rate powers!

“Tsk tsk, without even realizing it… I’m already approaching that level?”

Su Xing murmured, his heart filled with deep reflection.

Pulling himself from his reverie, Su Xing turned his gaze to the simulation panel.

“But all of that comes after advancing to Supreme Unity… For now, let’s continue with the simulation!”

Su Xing’s thoughts stirred as he looked at the simulation panel.

【In the void, you realize that you are in a simulation.】

【Five days later, two alien emissaries found you… and introduced you to the Void Realm.】

【The two alien emissaries were astonished by your cultivation — you were already a first-tier deity!】

【A lesser demon at the first-tier deity level held immense significance for the entire alien race… The two emissaries quickly recognized your importance, and their words became noticeably ingratiating.】

【The two emissaries even presented you with welcome gifts: a total of two thousand jin (1,000 kg) of third-rank deity-level blood essence.】

【You accepted the gifts with pleasant surprise and followed the two emissaries toward the Void Realm.】

In the real world, Su Xing raised an eyebrow at what he saw.

“As expected, even among the alien races… social etiquette and personal connections matter!”

“In my previous simulation, I was only a second-tier deity, with a status roughly equal to those two envoys…”

“But after ascending to first-tier deity, everything is completely different! My standing among the alien races is now close to that of a chief god.”

“That must be exactly why these two deities are trying so hard to ingratiate themselves with me.”

After a brief pause, Su Xing thought of something else and murmured:

“It seems I’ll have plenty of bargaining chips when negotiating with Red Moon this time… four hundred thousand jin (200,000 kg) of True God blood essence won’t be enough anymore!”

Su Xing’s eyes gleamed faintly as he turned his gaze back to the simulation panel.

【During the journey to the Void Realm, the two envoys’ expressions shifted slightly before they informed you that they wished to introduce you to an ancient existence.】

【While delivering the message, the two envoys also asked for your opinion—if you did not agree, you were free to decline.】

【You knew the one you would be meeting was Red Moon, but how could you possibly refuse blood essence being delivered right to your doorstep?】

【And so, you followed the two envoys toward the vicinity of Earth, arriving at the deepest layer of the Endless Abyss…】

【After meeting Red Moon, It quickly dismissed the two envoys and began trying to recruit you.】

【The rhetoric was largely the same as what you remembered, though the attitude was considerably more cordial.】

【After a round of bargaining, you and Red Moon finally settled on a figure.】

【Within ten years, Red Moon would provide you with a total of one hundred thousand jin (50,000 kg) of third-rank deity blood essence, or blood essence of equivalent value. Resource supply beyond that period would be determined based on circumstances.】

【The one hundred thousand jin (50,000 kg) of third-rank deity blood essence would be delivered in two installments.】

【The first batch would be delivered within half a year, totaling fifty thousand jin (25,000 kg); the second batch, also fifty thousand jin (25,000 kg), would be delivered within three years…】

【After accepting Red Moon’s terms, you happily formed an alliance with It.】

In the real world, Su Xing felt a surge of delight at what he saw.

“As expected, the treatment for a first-tier deity versus a second-tier deity is completely different!”

“Not only are other alien races sending gifts to curry favor… the terms Red Moon is offering are far more generous too!”

Su Xing did a quick calculation.

One hundred thousand jin (50,000 kg) of third-rank deity blood essence—that was a full one billion origin energy!

Moreover, the first batch alone was five hundred million origin energy, to be delivered within half a year; the second batch was another five hundred million origin energy, within three years.

Whether in terms of delivery speed or quantity, it far surpassed what he had received before!

“Tsk tsk… a first-tier deity already enjoys such treatment. What would happen if I ascended to chief god?”

Su Xing couldn’t help but wonder, but he quickly shook his head.

Setting aside how terrifying the amount of power of faith required to ascend to chief god would be, it was likely that even if Su Xing spent every simulation over the next few years raising his alien disguise’s cultivation level, he still might not be able to achieve it.

More importantly, if Su Xing did ascend to chief god, would he still receive such treatment?

The reason Su Xing’s lesser demon disguise, as a first-tier deity, enjoyed such treatment ultimately came down to two key factors:

First, the inherent nature of the lesser demon race meant that every battlefield required massive numbers of lesser demon cannon fodder.

This was precisely why chief gods and even first-tier deities were so eager to recruit the lesser demon disguise.

Second, the lesser demon disguise had a shallow foundation, and the combat strength of lesser demons was inherently limited… A first-tier lesser demon deity sounded impressive and held status comparable to a chief god, but it would never threaten the positions of those top-tier chief gods.

For example, the Seven Deadly Sins led by Slaughter, the seven veteran chief gods, and the clan leaders of the Ten Emperor Clans…

If Su Xing ascended to chief god and the number of lesser demons under his command reached a terrifying scale, it could genuinely threaten their positions.

At that point… they wouldn’t be giving Su Xing resources anymore.

They might even secretly sabotage him…

“Sigh, if not for my conversations with Red Moon, I probably wouldn’t have known that the alien races aren’t a monolithic bloc either—they each look out for their own interests…”

“Still, compared to the human race, the alien races are far more united!”

Su Xing let out a sigh, and after some deliberation, he formulated a plan for this simulation.

“Once I’ve extracted enough benefits from the alien races… I should switch back to my true form for cultivation as soon as possible!”

“After all, the lesser demon disguise has already ascended to first-tier deity, and it won’t be possible to advance further in the short term…”

With that thought, Su Xing turned his gaze to the simulation panel.

【After forming an alliance with Red Moon, you followed the two envoys to the Void Realm.】

【Before long, you acquired a small world near the Void Realm that had been occupied by the alien races.】

【This entire small world was designated for you to breed low-tier lesser demons.】

【Due to the advancement of your cultivation, the alien races’ demands of you increased accordingly.】

【Within ten years, they required you to breed ten million low-tier lesser demons; within a hundred years, two hundred million low-tier lesser demons.】

【Of course, in exchange, they would provide you with even more blood essence.】

【Each year, the alien races would supply you with blood essence ranging from Master-stage to deity-level, in quantities too numerous to count.】

【But according to your calculations, the total value of all this blood essence was approximately one hundred thousand jin (50,000 kg) of alien True God blood essence.】

【In other words, roughly one hundred million origin energy…】

In the real world, Su Xing gave a slight nod at what he saw.

“One hundred million origin energy per year… that’s certainly a sincere offer!”

“After deducting the cost of breeding some low-tier lesser demons as a token effort… I can privately pocket at least ninety million origin energy or more…”

Yes, Su Xing intended to embezzle everything down to the last drop.

As for sincerely breeding low-tier lesser demons for the alien races?

That was simply out of the question!

At most, Su Xing would only complete the task of breeding ten million low-tier lesser demons in the real world…

As for the origin energy the alien races would provide over the course of a hundred years? That would naturally all belong to Su Xing personally!

“Still, the alien races are a bit too stingy!”

“Let’s see if any other alien deities send me welcoming gifts.”

Su Xing felt a sense of anticipation as he turned his gaze to the simulation panel.

【After joining the Fifth Grand Legion, you naturally assumed the position of vice legion commander and gained control of a small world dedicated to breeding low-tier lesser demons.】

【For a time, you were the talk of the alien races, and every deity-level alien in the entire Azure Origin Domain was eager to make the acquaintance of you, the newly risen commander.】

【After all, every legion hoped to have more cannon fodder under its command to reduce losses among elite forces.】

【Before long, within just one year, you received a flood of welcoming gifts from alien deities.】

【From the lowest—third-rank deities sending several hundred jin of True God blood essence—to the highest—first-tier deities and chief gods sending high-grade blood essence—you turned away none of it!】

【In just one short year, the amount of blood essence you possessed reached a staggering figure.】

【After a rough calculation, you determined the value of this blood essence to be between seven and eight hundred million origin energy!】

In the real world, Su Xing could no longer hide the excitement in his heart.

“Good heavens, just by joining the alien races, I can earn at least over a billion extra origin energy within a single year!”

“This was absolutely the right move!”

“Obtaining blood essence from the alien races effectively weakens their overall strength… and I can even gather more intelligence. It truly kills two birds with one stone!”

Su Xing nodded in satisfaction.

“I want to see just how much I can squeeze out of the alien races with this operation…”

His gaze returned to the simulation panel.

【You remained in this nameless small world, breeding low-tier lesser demons. In the blink of an eye, several years passed.】

【During these years, Red Moon delivered the second installment of blood essence on schedule, worth five hundred million origin energy.】

【Other alien deities also contributed considerable amounts of blood essence over time. Though not as much as in the first year, the total still came to roughly five hundred million origin energy.】

【And so, more than ten years passed…】

【During this period, Red Moon recovered to chief god-level strength and began leading a contingent of former subordinates in an invasion of the Azure Origin Domain.】

【By the twentieth year, nearly every alien deity of significance in the Azure Origin Domain had already sent their welcoming gifts.】

【As a result, the amount of blood essence you received in recent years grew smaller and smaller…】

【At this rate, staying among the alien races would yield diminishing returns.】

【And so, you planned to quietly slip away from the alien headquarters and find an opportunity to revert to your true form for cultivation.】

【However, just at that moment… an unexpected existence made contact with you.】

【The current clan leader of the Red Eye Tribe, the chief god of Slaughter—the second-generation Red Moon!】