Chapter 465 – Red Talent “Time Stop,” Surviving the Five Signs of Celestial Decay!
by spirapiraChapter 465 – Red Talent “Time Stop,” Surviving the Five Signs of Celestial Decay!
Although the Calamity Tribulation Physique hadn’t been directly brought out by Su Xing and applied to his true body, Su Xing’s lesser demon disguise had its original Calamity Divine Physique replaced with the Calamity Tribulation Physique.
This terrifying bad luck even left Su Xing feeling uneasy from time to time!
Su Xing had previously tested the effects of the Calamity Tribulation Physique in a simulation.
If Su Xing had remained in the form of a lesser demon deity the entire time, he could have single-handedly delayed the destruction of the Azure Origin Domain by five hundred years!
Originally, the Azure Origin Domain would have been overrun by foreign races fifteen hundred years ago.
But thanks to Su Xing’s Calamity Tribulation Physique, the speed of the foreign invasion was slowed by a full five hundred years!
That particular simulation had been truly spectacular.
Several Peak Supreme Unity cultivators in succession seemed to receive the blessing of the Heavenly Dao and actually broke through to Great Firmament Golden Immortal!
And Qingyunzi, guided by some unseen force, fell into a half-mad, half-demonic state without completely losing his mind, and even began striking against the foreign races!
On top of that, the human race seemed to receive a massive boost in fortune, with cultivators one after another transforming into Children of Destiny, their breakthrough probabilities greatly increased!
Even so…
Around the two-thousand-year mark, the Azure Origin Domain was still destroyed by the foreign races’ overwhelming strength!
However, from that simulation alone, Su Xing had already experienced the terror of the Calamity Tribulation Physique.
【Calamity Tribulation Physique】: Red mythical-grade talent. You possess terrifying bad luck that spreads to those around you and can even affect the fortune of an entire race. Those who oppose you will receive a partial boost in fortune…
“Tsk tsk, this Calamity Tribulation Physique talent… if only I could find an opportunity to gift it to one of the foreign race’s chief gods!”
Su Xing murmured.
Beyond the stat boosts visible on his panel, Su Xing had gained other harvests from his simulations over the past half year.
“Celestial Sun Grass—I’ve finally obtained it…”
Su Xing had found the Celestial Sun Grass during his 181st simulation.
It was located in the void near the barrier where the Fourth Legion was trapped, and it took Su Xing over a dozen searches to find it.
After duplicating this stalk of Celestial Sun Grass with the Luotian Mirror, he could obtain two stalks.
At a price of five hundred thousand origin energy per stalk, Su Xing brought both stalks back to the Real World.
“Whew… the Celestial Sun Soul-Forging Pill is only missing two more ingredients now…”
“And over the past half year, I’ve also investigated the locations of several qi-blood treasures… which will be tremendously useful for my future breakthrough to the Great Shaman Body Forging Art, Seventh Layer!”
Su Xing murmured.
The above constituted the entirety of Su Xing’s gains from half a year of simulations.
And now, Su Xing was preparing to begin a new round of simulation!
After half a year of accumulating sufficient origin energy, Su Xing could finally launch his final assault on the Supreme Unity Golden Immortal realm!
“Begin simulation!”
【Simulation #200 initiated. Current remaining origin energy: 513,064,396 points… Remaining simulation attempts: 4.】
【Simulation begins!】
【Drawing a talent costs 1 origin energy point. Draw?】
“Yes!”
【Ding! Congratulations, you have drawn the red talent “Time Stop Between Breaths.” Next draw: 80% chance for gold talent, 20% chance for red talent…】
【Time Stop Between Breaths】: Red mythical-grade talent. You possess a sliver of power over time, able to control time within a ten-thousand-li (5,000 km) radius and pause it for “three seconds.” Can only be used once per simulation. (Note: Between breaths—that is three seconds!)
“Holy shit… a time-type talent!?”
Su Xing was stunned for a moment, a flash of pleasant surprise crossing his eyes.
“Between breaths”—this seemingly abstract talent.
Its actual effect was to pause time within a ten-thousand-li (5,000 km) radius, freezing it for three seconds!
Three seconds… didn’t sound like much, but it was lethal and crucial!
Without exaggeration, with these three seconds, enemies of similar strength to Su Xing would never be his match again.
Even those stronger than him, as long as they didn’t exceed him by too much, Su Xing would have the power to fight back… or at the very least, a much better chance of escaping!
“Three seconds is enough time to do a great many things…”
Su Xing narrowed his eyes. For instance, his current strongest offensive technique.
The Void Slash unleashed through sixth realm Sword Dao—three seconds would guarantee Su Xing a one-hundred-percent hit rate on his target!
Against enemies at mid-stage Supreme Unity or below, they would at minimum be grievously wounded, and if their physical body was weak, Su Xing might even kill them outright!
“Tsk tsk… it really is an incredibly powerful talent, especially in combat!”
“I just don’t know whether this talent would work on Great Firmament Golden Immortals… or even half-saints?”
Su Xing wasn’t sure.
Based on his understanding, Great Firmament Golden Immortals had not yet touched upon the level of time.
But if it were a Saint… Su Xing didn’t know whether they could break free from the constraints of time.
“A very strong talent… but the priority now is to break through to the Supreme Unity Golden Immortal realm as soon as possible!”
“Over the past half year, I’ve made countless preparations, all for this very day…”
Su Xing took out several black bottles and jars.
Inside these containers were the five types of poison Su Xing had collected over the past half year to help him undergo the five signs of celestial decay as quickly as possible.
“Even though I have the Shennong Reborn talent… the effects of the celestial decay poisons are terrifying after all. This should work, right?”
Su Xing said uncertainly, his gaze falling on the simulation panel.
【Please select the target for the Plus One talent boost…】
“I choose to boost the Late Bloomer talent…”
【In the spirit field grotto-heaven, you realize you are in a simulation.】
【You proceed to the Azure Cloud Realm at maximum speed and successfully trade with Qingyunzi.】
【After staying at the Azure Cloud Sect for ten years, you collect the Luo Tian legacy and leave the Azure Origin Domain.】
【Year 20: You successfully arrive at the Heavenly Secrets Domain.】
【In the Canglang Realm, you begin preparations to survive the first of the five signs of celestial decay—the Decay of Purity!】
【You consume the pre-prepared deadly substance: the Defilement Pill.】
【Due to your Divine Farmer talent, the poison’s effect is slightly reduced. The Decay of Purity’s effects are weakened by thirty percent, but the duration extends to five hundred years…】
【You begin experiencing the Decay of Purity and enter a state of exhausted blessings and waning lifespan…】
【Several days later, filth begins accumulating on your body, emitting a foul odor.】
【You are forced to bathe and cleanse yourself daily to rid yourself of this defilement.】
【You are in a state where all fortune is exhausted. Your luck has dropped to its absolute lowest… You begin suffering frequent misfortune!】
【You are in a state where your lifespan is nearly spent. Your strength has plummeted drastically, to less than one percent of your peak…】
In the Real World, Su Xing drew a sharp breath at the sight of this.
“As expected of the five signs of celestial decay… a calamity that even Golden Immortals dread. Truly terrifying!”
While experiencing the five signs of celestial decay, a cultivator’s strength would undoubtedly plummet to a frightening degree.
A dignified Peak Golden Immortal cultivator might not even compare to some True Immortals…
And that was only secondary. More importantly, the negative effects brought on by the “exhausted blessings and waning lifespan” state.
Fortune, dropped to its absolute nadir!
One must understand, fortune was something both mysterious and intangible, yet undeniably real.
Su Xing had experienced the tremendous benefits that fortune could bring. Under the Heaven-Sent Fortune state, while it wasn’t quite wish fulfillment, everything went smoothly—fortuitous encounters and rare treasures practically fell into his lap.
All things in heaven and earth—every person possessed some degree of fortune, more or less.
But in the state of exhausted fortune, one’s luck was at rock bottom!
The effect was… probably comparable to the Calamity Tribulation Physique’s boost…
Of course, this state only affected the cultivator themselves and did not spread to those nearby.
Specifically, it might mean that Su Xing, while in secluded cultivation, would see no growth in his cultivation no matter how hard he practiced. No matter how he contemplated the Great Dao, he would gain nothing whatsoever.
He might even be inexplicably discovered by other cultivators and then killed for his treasures.
“But I’ve already prepared quite a few countermeasures. As long as my luck isn’t especially terrible, nothing should go wrong… right?”
Su Xing murmured, his gaze turning to the simulation panel.
【While in the state of exhausted blessings and lifespan, the Blessed by Fortune talent sends frantic warnings, as though danger could strike at any moment…】
【Fortunately, you had already carved out a cave dwelling in advance, set up formations, and entered the spirit field grotto-heaven.】
【Under layers of protection, you encounter no danger during the first two hundred-plus years.】
【Year 300 arrives. One day, you are awakened from secluded cultivation.】
【It turns out that several rogue cultivators at the True Immortal realm discovered your cave dwelling, mistook it for a Secret Realm, and happened upon a weak point in the spirit field grotto-heaven, on the verge of breaking in.】
【You react in time, appearing in the cave dwelling to drive off these rogue cultivators.】
【Unexpectedly, the rogue cultivators seem to notice your poor condition and develop murderous intentions to kill you and take your treasures.】
【Though your strength has greatly diminished to less than one percent, dealing with mere True Immortals is naturally effortless for you.】
【And so, you slay all of these would-be robbers.】
【After killing these True Immortals, you erase all traces and re-enter the spirit field grotto-heaven to continue your cultivation.】
【Thus, two hundred and twenty years pass quietly…】
【Year 530. One day, inspiration strikes and you sense that the filth on your body is rapidly vanishing.】
【At the same time, your strength swiftly recovers…】
【Congratulations! You have successfully survived the first of the five signs of celestial decay—the Decay of Purity!】
In the Real World, Su Xing breathed a sigh of relief at this.
“That was close… thankfully it was only a few True Immortals who showed up…”
“This exhausted blessings and waning lifespan state is truly terrifying… I was hiding inside the spirit field grotto-heaven, and yet mere True Immortals still found me…”
Su Xing shook his head. The secluded cultivation site in the Canglang Realm was one he had already scouted in previous simulations.
It was among the few relatively safe locations, yet even so, vulnerabilities had appeared.
“Maybe I should go to the Celestial Secrets Realm for secluded cultivation instead? It might be safer there?”
Su Xing said with some uncertainty.
But one thing was certain: the Celestial Demon Domain was fraught with danger everywhere. With his strength greatly reduced, even under the Celestial Demon General’s protection, Su Xing might not be safe at all times.
After all, the Celestial Demon General was a dignified Great Firmament Golden Immortal—he couldn’t possibly neglect the safety of the Heavenly Secrets Domain just to protect Su Xing around the clock.
By the same logic, the Celestial Secrets Realm might not be much safer either…
“Still, I should be more careful… make a few more preparations!”
With a plan forming in his mind, Su Xing turned his gaze to the simulation panel.
【Year 530. After surviving the Decay of Purity, you do not rush to undergo the Decay of Splendor.】
【Instead, taking advantage of your restored strength, you travel to the Luotian Realm and forge a batch of single-use magical treasures.】
【These single-use treasures, such as the “Five Thunder Stone,” only require the infusion of immortal power to trigger, unleashing devastating force that few below the Golden Immortal realm could survive.】
【After forging several hundred of these single-use treasures, you finally feel somewhat reassured and return to the spirit field grotto-heaven for secluded cultivation.】
【By now, time has reached Year 550!】
【You consume the deadly substance Floral Edge Stone, officially entering the second of the five signs of celestial decay—the “Decay of Splendor”!】
【Within mere moments, your full head of dark hair turns completely white.】
【Simultaneously, you feel your power rapidly waning and fortune gradually abandoning you…】
【You fall once again into the state of exhausted blessings and waning lifespan.】
【Fortunately, undergoing the celestial decay for the second time, you are no longer as anxious as before.】
【You do your best to steady your mindset, avoiding impatience, simply living day after day in the spirit field grotto-heaven as always…】
【In the blink of an eye, a hundred years pass…】
【Year 650. One day, you sense several formidable uninvited guests approaching your cave dwelling.】
【You frown slightly and make your way to your concealed cave dwelling.】
【It turns out the formations have sustained damage, causing several Mystic Immortals to wander in and discover the spirit field grotto-heaven where you are in secluded cultivation.】
【Even more coincidentally, these Mystic Immortals belong to the same sect as the True Immortals you previously slew.】
【Moreover, their sect possesses life tablets capable of sensing the location where their disciples and Elders died…】
【As expected, these Mystic Immortals believe you are the one who killed those True Immortals.】
【Or perhaps, seeing your white hair and weakened aura, they too develop murderous intentions to kill and plunder.】
【Left with no choice, you slay all of these Mystic Immortals…】
【Interrupted during secluded cultivation for the second time, you realize this location can no longer be used. If even stronger cultivators come next time, this could very well be where your life ends.】
【And so, you leave this cave dwelling.】
【You head for the second cave dwelling you had already scouted in the Canglang Realm.】
【But along the way, you encounter robber-cultivators three separate times. Fortunately, their cultivation levels are not high, so you slay them all.】
【After reaching the second cave dwelling, you continue your secluded cultivation… The next four hundred years pass without incident!】
【Year 1,050. You successfully survive the second tribulation—the Decay of Splendor.】
In the Real World, Su Xing frowned slightly at this.
“Targeted by robber-cultivators twice in a row… my luck really has hit rock bottom!”
“It seems I can’t stay in the Canglang Realm any longer. I need to find a way to get to the Celestial Demon Domain…”
Su Xing wasn’t certain how long the Celestial Demon General in the Celestial Demon Domain could shelter him, but he intended to try.
Moreover, around the fifteen-hundred-year mark, the Canglang Realm would face a foreign invasion, making it unsafe from that point on.
Before then, Su Xing had to relocate to a safer location to survive the five signs of celestial decay.
With this in mind, Su Xing turned his gaze to the simulation panel.
【Year 1,100. You successfully arrive at the Celestial Demon Domain.】
【Afterward, you meet the Celestial Demon General. After revealing your identity, the Celestial Demon General states he will do his best to help you survive the five signs of celestial decay, but warns that the Celestial Demon Domain sees frequent warfare, and he cannot guarantee your protection at all times.】
【But you have no other options at this point, and can only endure the five signs of celestial decay under the Celestial Demon General’s protection.】
【This year, you consume the Axillary Decay Powder, initiating the third of the five signs of celestial decay—the “Decay of Vigor”!】