Chapter 399 – The Treasure Essence Refining Stone, Slaying the Shadow Divine Sovereign!

Chapter 399 – The Treasure Essence Refining Stone, Slaying the Shadow Divine Sovereign!

In the Real World, Su Xing felt a surge of anticipation at the sight of this.

“Whether I can trigger Heart of the Strong all depends on finding a suitable opponent in this battle!”

The first great war between the Heavenly Secrets Domain and the foreign races was massive in scale.

Judging by the scale of participation and the strength of both sides, everyone from Mahayana and Tribulation Crossing stage cultivators all the way up to Great Firmament Golden Immortals were involved.

How could the numbers be limited to mere billions? The worlds affected by this war numbered nearly a hundred.

Under these circumstances, the foreign races had deployed a great many powerful fighters, making it very likely that Su Xing could find a matching enemy.

Someone at the peak of Golden Immortal level, yet not among the very elite of Golden Immortal peak experts — someone who could defeat Su Xing and pose a lethal threat, yet still leave Su Xing with a chance of survival.

“A strength level around fifteenth on the Prodigy List’s Earth Ranking would be the most suitable!”

Su Xing estimated that his current comprehensive strength should barely allow him to rank around twentieth on the Prodigy List.

The top ten were already prodigies comparable to Golden Immortal Perfection. Around fifteenth place, Su Xing wouldn’t be a match, yet it wouldn’t be entirely hopeless for him to escape — that was the perfect sweet spot.

“However, to be safe, I’ll probably need to enlist a powerful ally to lend a hand…”

Su Xing began searching for a suitable candidate.

The White Emperor was powerful, but he needed to face the foreign races’ high-end combatants and prevent the foreign races’ chief gods from making a move!

After all, the foreign races’ chief gods were existences comparable to Great Firmament Golden Immortals!

Su Xing mulled it over and realized that the only suitable candidate who also had a connection with him was Xiao Zhanlong — the one who had escorted the Celestial Vessel.

Xiao Zhanlong was a Heaven-rank Elder of the Celestial Secrets Pavilion and had received guidance from the White Emperor — a bona fide Supreme Unity Golden Immortal!

Su Xing and Xiao Zhanlong had some rapport, and moreover, Su Xing had previously defeated that foreign race Divine Sovereign aboard the Celestial Vessel, saving the ship.

Xiao Zhanlong owed Su Xing a favor…

Perhaps in this battle, Xiao Zhanlong would serve as Su Xing’s safety net.

“If I can get a Supreme Unity Golden Immortal to act, my life will undoubtedly be far more secure!”

Su Xing took a deep breath and turned his gaze to the simulation panel.

【Year 800: The great war was on the verge of erupting.】

【Nearly all Elders of the Celestial Secrets Pavilion participated in this battle, and Xiao Zhanlong was no exception…】

【As a Supreme Unity Golden Immortal, Xiao Zhanlong naturally became the commander of an army, while you, with your strength comparable to a late-stage Golden Immortal, became Xiao Zhanlong’s adjutant.】

【At the start of the battle, you performed brilliantly, slaying foreign race gods one after another. In just three short years… the number of foreign race gods who died at your hands exceeded ten thousand!】

【During combat, you also kept a constant watch for a suitable target that could help you trigger Heart of the Strong!】

【A foreign race god comparable to peak Golden Immortal — equivalent to a peak second-rank Divine Sovereign, extremely close to first-rank Divine Sovereign… Those who reached this level were almost exclusively members of the Emperor Clan or chieftains of the King Clan among the foreign races.】

【Soon, time arrived at Year 805.】

【After years of observation, you finally found a suitable enemy.】

【A second-rank Divine Sovereign of the Shadow Tribe! With personal strength at mid-to-late second-rank Divine Sovereign, extremely close to Golden Immortal Perfection…】

【On the battlefield, this shadow primarily carried out assassination missions. In just five years, the number of Golden Immortals assassinated by it was no fewer than three!】

【This Shadow Tribe Divine Sovereign had become an extremely troublesome existence for the human race’s side.】

【Not only was its speed absurdly fast, approaching the sixth realm of the Great Dao of Speed, it also possessed the ability to hide within the dark dimension…】

【Whenever it was besieged, it would flee into the dark dimension, making it utterly impossible to kill.】

【Under these circumstances, you volunteered to serve as bait and requested that Supreme Unity Golden Immortal Xiao Zhanlong join forces to slay this Shadow Tribe Divine Sovereign!】

Su Xing nodded slightly at this.

“Shadow Tribe gods are cautious by nature… They’re inherently difficult to kill. One must lure the enemy deep and lay an inescapable net of traps to slay them!”

“Moreover, with its peak second-rank Divine Sovereign strength, even a Golden Immortal Perfection expert might not be able to keep it pinned down… So having Xiao Zhanlong step in is quite appropriate!”

Su Xing had studied the White Emperor’s swordsmanship and comprehended Void Slash, possessing the terrifying ability to escape into the void and cut through space to slay enemies.

Xiao Zhanlong had also received the White Emperor’s guidance and possessed similar ultimate supernatural arts, making him the ideal partner to coordinate with Su Xing.

“Not only can we work together to trigger Heart of the Strong, we’ll also earn great merit. This plan is certain to succeed!”

Su Xing thought it over and, finding no gaps in the plan, turned his gaze back to the simulation panel.

【After confirming your target, you began appearing frequently in the area where the Shadow Tribe Divine Sovereign was active.】

【In just half a year, you slew over a hundred foreign race Divine Sovereigns.】

【And this Shadow Divine Sovereign observed you for a full half year…】

【During this half year, it did not strike. But every time you appeared, you could always feel a faint, elusive sense of being watched.】

【You knew — this was the Shadow Tribe Divine Sovereign assessing your strength.】

【Only after it confirmed that you posed no threat would the Shadow Tribe Divine Sovereign emerge from the dark dimension to deliver a lethal blow!】

【Thanks to your Shadow Tribe disguise, you were quite familiar with the methods of the Shadow Tribe.】

【The Shadow Tribe’s standing among the ten great Emperor Clans was owed not only to their speed and extraordinarily powerful physical bodies, but most crucially to their so-called shadow traversal ability!】

【The Shadow Tribe could perceive a shadow realm that did not exist in the real world — a dimension that corresponded to the real world but with infinitely compressed distances.】

【By fleeing into the shadow realm, the Shadow Tribe could cross tens of millions of miles in an instant, and could assassinate targets from the shadows…】

【What you had to do was use yourself as bait, withstand the Shadow Divine Sovereign’s lethal blow, and then use your spatial Dao to interfere with its entry into the shadow realm.】

【Over the following days, you continued hunting foreign races in this area, quietly awaiting the Shadow Divine Sovereign’s appearance.】

【Soon, another half year passed.】

【Year 806: The Shadow Tribe Divine Sovereign, whom you had thought would never show itself again, finally struck!】

【It happened after you experienced an exhilarating battle. After three months, you finally slew a second-rank foreign race Divine Sovereign.】

【Having just killed this foreign Divine Sovereign, your magical power was greatly depleted, and you were about to return to the human race’s main camp to recuperate.】

【It was at that very instant that a piercing pain erupted between your brows.】

【Every hair on your body stood on end. In this moment between life and death, you activated your Protective Sword Aura without the slightest hesitation!】

【After your Great Dao of the Sword entered the fifth realm, the power of your Protective Sword Aura had been further enhanced!】

【Five thousand six hundred strands of Protective Sword Aura wrapped around you in an impenetrable shield…】

【And at that very same moment, a black silhouette burst forth from the void behind you, striking directly at the vital point on your neck.】

【In an instant, the vast majority of the five thousand six hundred strands of Protective Sword Aura were shattered, and a terrifying force of shadow power surged toward your physical body.】

【You let out a muffled groan and spat out a mouthful of dark blood, but swiftly opened the distance.】

【Seeing that its first strike had failed to kill you, the Shadow Divine Sovereign frowned slightly and launched another offensive against you.】

【Intent on finishing the fight quickly, the Shadow Tribe Divine Sovereign sought to slay you as fast as possible.】

【But your physical body was formidable, and with the Blackice sword in hand, your swordsmanship actually held its own in the short term.】

【Under these circumstances, the Shadow Tribe Divine Sovereign was in no hurry to leave, merely using its superior speed to steadily suppress you.】

【After barely a hundred exchanges, your body was already covered in wounds…】

【But fortunately, the strength of your physical body allowed your injuries to heal rapidly.】

【Yet as the battle continued, the pressure on you grew ever greater…】

【After a full half hour of fighting, the Shadow Divine Sovereign seemed to finally lose patience.】

【In your perception, the surrounding void seemed to darken by three shades… Then the Shadow Divine Sovereign seemed to merge with the void itself, becoming a true shadow.】

【In the next instant, a creature a hundred zhang (333 m) tall, like a shadow given form, lunged at you…】

【This soul-shaking supernatural art and its terrifying speed left you stunned for a moment.】

【But you quickly recovered. Without an instant’s hesitation… all five thousand six hundred strands of Protective Sword Aura poured forth!】

【However, the thousands of sword aura strands sank into the black shadow like stones cast into the sea, without raising a single ripple.】

【When that dark shadow made contact with you, you felt your eyelids growing heavier and heavier, your divine soul grievously wounded in an instant…】

【You looked at the enormous dark shadow. There was not a trace of panic in your heart — instead, the corners of your mouth curled upward slightly.】

【In the instant before you lost consciousness, you saw a sword light streaking from ten thousand li (5,000 km) away, piercing through the void to strike that dark shadow…】

【…】

【When you awoke from unconsciousness, a full month had already passed.】

【Xiao Zhanlong did not disappoint your expectations. With absolute mastery of the Sword Dao, he caught the dark shadow completely off guard and slew it!】

【And though you suffered grave injuries and fell unconscious, you ultimately survived.】

【In this battle, you and Xiao Zhanlong worked together to slay a peak Golden Immortal foreign race expert, earning great merit!】

【By rights, since Xiao Zhanlong had delivered the killing blow, the lion’s share of the credit should have been his.】

【But Xiao Zhanlong said that without you risking your life as bait, this Shadow Tribe Divine Sovereign could never have been killed.】

【Therefore, you claimed the vast majority of the merit, and also earned a chance to enter the Celestial Secrets Pavilion and select a treasure…】

【You were in no rush to select a treasure. Instead, after your injuries healed, you carefully sensed your current cultivation.】

【You had successfully triggered Heart of the Strong…】

【Your cultivation advanced from mid Mystic Immortal Eighth Layer directly to early Mystic Immortal Ninth Layer!】

In the Real World, Su Xing clenched both fists in excitement at the sight of this.

“Finally — Heart of the Strong triggered successfully, and I’ve stepped into Mystic Immortal Ninth Layer!”

Su Xing took a deep breath, unable to contain his excitement.

After entering Mystic Immortal Ninth Layer, Su Xing was only a single step away from Mystic Immortal Perfection!

Moreover, judging by this Shadow Divine Sovereign’s level of strength, Su Xing could probably continue using it to trigger Heart of the Strong all the way until he fully entered Golden Immortal.

Beyond that, Su Xing had also earned a chance to select a treasure from the Celestial Secrets Pavilion!

That was a treasure from the Celestial Secrets Pavilion!

Rumored to be the most precious treasury in the Three Thousand Worlds!

The treasures within were enough to make even Supreme Unity Golden Immortals green with envy…

Had Su Xing not earned this merit, he would have needed a thousand years of accumulated contributions just to earn a single entry into the treasury.

“Now that I’m drawing ever closer to Mystic Immortal Perfection… it’s time to start considering how to condense the Three Flowers Above the Crown!”

Condensing the Three Flowers Above the Crown to achieve the Golden Immortal realm.

Relying solely on a cultivator’s own effort would undoubtedly consume an enormous amount of time.

But with the aid of a treasure, a great deal of time could be saved.

Because condensing the Three Flowers Above the Crown was essentially a sublimation of one’s own “essence, qi, and spirit.”

If he could borrow the treasures of the Celestial Secrets Pavilion, he might be able to condense them smoothly.

Thinking of this, Su Xing rubbed his chin and said:

“Perhaps it’s time to search the Celestial Secrets Pavilion and see if there are any suitable treasures…”

His gaze turned to the simulation panel.

【Year 810. The great war ended. You survived and followed the human race’s army back to the Celestial Secrets Realm.】

【At this moment, you possessed one opportunity to select a treasure from the Celestial Secrets Pavilion.】

【But you knew nothing about the Celestial Secrets Pavilion’s treasures, so you decided to consult the White Emperor and ask him how to choose a suitable treasure.】

【After hearing your needs, the White Emperor pondered for a moment, then informed you that the Celestial Secrets Pavilion did indeed possess treasures for condensing the Three Flowers Above the Crown.】

【Within the Celestial Secrets Pavilion’s treasury, there was a treasure called the Essence Refining Stone — an innate treasure that could help cultivators refine essence into qi and condense the human flower.】

【There was also the Spirit-Connecting Flower, a miraculous bloom of heaven and earth that could help cultivators refine qi into spirit and condense the earth flower.】

【And the most renowned of all was the Mirror of Nothingness — a supreme treasure once used by the Celestial Secrets Pavilion Master himself, capable of helping cultivators refine spirit into void and condense the heaven flower!】

【Once all Three Flowers were condensed, one could ride that momentum and step into the Golden Immortal realm!】

【However, each of these three treasures was more precious than the last, their value no less than that of innate treasures. Even a Supreme Unity Golden Immortal would need to spend a great deal of time earning merit to exchange for them.】

【Among them, the Mirror of Nothingness could only be temporarily borrowed and could not be purchased.】

【Therefore, the White Emperor advised you to simply rely on your own efforts to condense the Three Flowers Above the Crown.】

【Generally, it would only take thirty to fifty thousand years to condense them…】

【If you were lucky and had high aptitude, perhaps you could condense them in as few as twenty thousand years…】

【After hearing the White Emperor’s words, you became even more determined to exchange for the treasures.】

In the real world, Su Xing’s mouth twitched at the corners when he saw this.

Condensing the Three Flowers Above the Crown required thirty to fifty thousand years?

Even with Su Xing’s simulator and various talent bonuses, he would probably need over ten simulations to condense them successfully.

Calculated that way, it would be better to just exchange for those treasures!

“It’s just that with my merit, exchanging for them will probably be somewhat difficult… I can only exchange after the great war at the eight-hundred-year mark, and I don’t know if there’ll be enough time by then.”

“Sigh, if it really comes down to it, I’ll just have to spend origin energy to bring the treasures out…”

Su Xing mulled it over. The Three Flowers Above the Crown absolutely had to be condensed.

“So these three treasures — I must successfully exchange for them all!”

Su Xing deliberated for a while, then turned his gaze to the simulation panel.

【After the White Emperor’s answer, you traveled to the Celestial Secrets Realm, entered the main hall of the Celestial Secrets Pavilion within Celestial Secrets City, and prepared to use your exchange opportunity.】

【After entering the Celestial Secrets Pavilion and stating your purpose, you were quickly led by a Supreme Unity Golden Immortal guardian into the deepest formation within the pavilion.】

【Passing through this formation, you arrived at a wondrous space.】

【This space was white in every direction, somewhat resembling the interior of the Luotian Mirror when you first obtained it.】

【This seemed to be an independent space. Just as you were marveling and preparing to explore further, a mechanical chime sounded in your ears.】

【The chime asked what treasure you wished to exchange for… You produced your exchange token and indicated that you wanted to exchange for the Essence Refining Stone, the Spirit-Connecting Flower, or a chance to use the Mirror of Nothingness.】

【But with the merit you had accumulated, you could only afford to exchange for one Essence Refining Stone.】

【Soon, you obtained a fist-sized, crystalline stone…】

【You stored the stone carefully.】

【Over the following period, you remained in the Celestial Secrets Realm, diligently cultivating and occasionally venturing out on missions…】

【Time quickly reached Year 900…】

【This year, while you were out on a mission, an incident finally occurred…】

【You had been feeling restless, a stinging pain emanating from between your brows. After performing a divination, you discovered that a death tribulation awaited you…】

【With all these signs, you recalled… perhaps Blood Two was coming after you.】

【But it was already too late to flee back to the Celestial Secrets Realm, so you headed to a nearby lesser chiliocosm occupied by foreign races and assumed your lesser demon disguise…】

【Several days later, a powerful aura descended upon this world. Sure enough, Blood Two was hunting you.】

【But after you assumed your lesser demon form, not even a Saint could see through it — how could a mere Great Firmament Golden Immortal possibly see through you?】

【You successfully escaped this calamity and began cultivating under your lesser demon disguise.】

In the real world, Su Xing frowned slightly at this.

“So much time has passed… that I almost forgot about Blood Two hunting me…”

“But fortunately, the lesser demon disguise can still protect my life…”

In Su Xing’s recent simulations, under the Red-Pupiled Divine Sovereign’s pursuit, he had been switching to a foreign race disguise around the eight-hundred-year mark each time.

Now that the Red-Pupiled Divine Sovereign had been killed by him, Su Xing had nearly forgotten about it.

“Well then, from here on I’ll cultivate under the lesser demon disguise… which works out perfectly since I need to reach the True God realm as quickly as possible!”

His gaze turned to the simulation panel.

【Year 900. As a powerful Greater Divine Power lesser demon, you caught the eye of the 3rd Grand Legion, were conscripted into their ranks, and became a vice commander.】

【From then on, you cultivated in peace, while your innate misfortune caused the foreign race legion to suffer defeat after defeat.】

【In the blink of an eye, four hundred years passed…】

【Year 1,300. Your cultivation finally advanced another step, and you became a mid-stage Greater Divine Power lesser demon.】

【This year, you attempted to devour the blood essence of that Red-Pupiled Divine Sovereign. You had a vague premonition that this blood essence would be of great benefit to you.】

【But unfortunately, your divine power was too low — still insufficient to devour the blood essence of a second-rank Divine Sovereign.】

【Left with no choice, you could only continue cultivating.】

【Year 1,400. Under the influence of your misfortune, the 3rd Legion was finally annihilated.】

【Hundreds of millions of foreign race members perished in battle against the human race…】

【And you were not spared either, dying at the hands of a Golden Immortal…】

【Ding! This simulation has ended!】

After the simulation ended, Su Xing sighed:

“What a shame. This time the lesser demon disguise only lasted five hundred years…”

Though it was somewhat regrettable, improving the disguise’s strength was only a side benefit.

Su Xing’s most urgent priority was to break through to the Golden Immortal realm as soon as possible.

Then enter Seventh Heaven and obtain the Primordial Energy Tree!

“Let me first check this simulation’s rewards…”

Su Xing’s gaze turned to the reward list.

【Solar Divine Physique】: Gold talent. Price: 10 origin energy.

【Mystic Immortal Realm, Ninth Layer】: five qis gathered in the chest, already at the late stage of Mystic Immortal. Not far from Golden Immortal! Price: 2,000,000 origin energy.

【Spirit Domain Cultivation Results】: A Spirit Domain of seven thousand and several hundred li, beginning to gradually transform from Spirit Domain toward Spirit Realm level. The Spirit Domain’s influence on reality grows stronger. Price: 200,000 origin energy.

【Essence Refining Stone】: An innate treasure capable of helping cultivators refine essence into qi and condense the Three Flowers Above the Crown. A precious supreme treasure. Price: 1,000,000 origin energy.

Looking at the rewards from this simulation, Su Xing was somewhat torn.

“The Mystic Immortal Ninth Layer cultivation must be brought out… but the choice between the Spirit Domain results and the Essence Refining Stone…”

The Spirit Domain Cultivation Results would boost Su Xing’s strength considerably.

But the greater improvement would undoubtedly come from stepping into Golden Immortal.

And without the Essence Refining Stone, Su Xing would waste far too much time…

“If I bring out the Essence Refining Stone this time, then in the next simulation, I might reach Mystic Immortal Perfection within five or six hundred years… and with the Essence Refining Stone, I might be able to condense the human flower first!”

“But if I leave it for the next simulation… I won’t be able to use it until after the eight-hundred-year mark, leaving only a hundred years. That might not be enough time to bring out the Essence Refining Stone…”

“It’s just that the price is a bit too steep!”

One million origin energy — that was no small sum.

After much hesitation, Su Xing decided to bring out the Essence Refining Stone!

After all, stepping into Golden Immortal was the most urgent priority. As for the origin energy shortfall…

Su Xing could find ways to earn more!

With that thought, Su Xing silently intoned:

“I choose the Mystic Immortal Ninth Layer cultivation and the Essence Refining Stone…”

【Ding! You have successfully brought out Mystic Immortal Realm, Ninth Layer cultivation. Cost: 2,000,000 origin energy. Remaining origin energy: 3,867,128.】

【You have successfully brought out the Essence Refining Stone. Cost: 1,000,000 origin energy. Remaining origin energy: 2,867,128.】

In the blink of an eye, Su Xing’s origin energy reserves had dropped to less than three million.

This made Su Xing’s heart ache.

But along with it, Su Xing’s cultivation soared rapidly!

Mystic Immortal Seventh Layer… Mystic Immortal Eighth Layer… Mystic Immortal Ninth Layer!

In the span of a few breaths, Su Xing’s magical power had thickened by a full fifty percent, and his aura had risen an entire level.

After spending a moment adapting to his increased magical power, Su Xing nodded with satisfaction.

At the same time, Su Xing turned his gaze to the crystalline, translucent stone in his palm.

Merely holding it in his hand, Su Xing could feel his vital essence slowly growing.

“Tsk tsk, worthy of being an innate treasure — truly extraordinary!”

With the Essence Refining Stone in hand, Su Xing felt much more at ease.

Though it had cost a million origin energy, as long as the next simulation went smoothly, he could condense the human flower first!

At a pace of one Three Flowers Above the Crown per simulation…

In at most three more simulations, Su Xing could successfully step into the Golden Immortal realm!

At this thought, Su Xing couldn’t help but feel excited.

“The Golden Immortal realm — it’s coming soon!”

Glancing at his remaining sub-three-million origin energy and his two remaining simulation opportunities…

Su Xing didn’t hesitate, silently intoning:

“Begin simulation!”