Chapter 425 – A Flawed Plan, Su Xing Killed by Red Moon!
by spirapiraChapter 425 – A Flawed Plan, Su Xing Killed by Red Moon!
Inside these several storage rings, packed to the brim, were nothing but exotic metals!
From the lowest first-order exotic metals to fourth-order exotic metals, they filled several storage rings to capacity.
Moreover, Su Xing even spotted among them several pieces of rare fifth-order exotic metal, each half as tall as a person!
“Tsk tsk, so this is the accumulated wealth of Great Xia over thousands of years… I really did underestimate this land before!”
“We’ve truly struck it rich!”
“All this exotic metal—how much origin energy is it actually worth!?”
Su Xing let out a soft sigh of admiration.
One could only say that although Earth’s Class Users weren’t particularly strong, this land had once been part of the Luotian Realm.
As a fragment of what was once a Greater World, it naturally held many treasures.
These exotic metals were just part of them…
It was all thanks to Luo Tian’s lingering legacy…
Otherwise, based on Earth’s origin energy output alone, how could it possibly compare to the Lesser Azure Cloud Realm, where cultivators gathered in abundance?
“When it comes down to it, it’s Red Moon that has limited this land’s potential and development…”
Su Xing shook his head.
Clearly, Class Users had an enormous advantage in the early stages compared to other cultivation paths.
Being able to gain power through killing meant that every Class User essentially wielded a profound Law of Slaughter.
But behind this tremendous gift lay Red Moon’s calculations spanning countless years.
Red Moon had set a ceiling on the strongest beings this land could produce!
The moment a Class User reached the “standard,” they would immediately become nourishment for Red Moon.
For tens of thousands of years, the Class Users on Earth had been harvested like leeks, crop after crop, becoming supplements for Red Moon’s recovery of life force and power.
If Earth’s cultivators had been left to cultivate on their own, relying on the resources once belonging to the Luotian Realm, quite a few immortals would probably have been born, wouldn’t they?
“But fortunately, of the Heavenly Dao’s fifty, only forty-nine are in play—and man may seize the one that escapes…”
“This land still has a thread of hope after all!”
Su Xing realized his thoughts had drifted too far and turned his gaze back to the several storage rings.
With a thought, a Chime sounded in Su Xing’s ears.
【Ding, massive origin energy detected… valued at 43,964,396 points. Absorb?】
A full forty-three million-plus origin energy!
This exceeded any single sum of energy Su Xing had ever obtained!
In fact, this amount alone was enough to push Su Xing all the way to mid-stage Golden Immortal!
“Tsk tsk… as expected of a former part of the Luotian Realm!”
“And this probably isn’t even everything this land holds… There are still many Luotian Realm fragments that even Xia’s military and the entire human race have yet to unearth…”
Su Xing didn’t hesitate, directly absorbing all forty-three million-plus origin energy in one go!
With this, Su Xing’s origin energy reached an unprecedented peak—
51,267,877 points!
With such a massive boost in hand, the first thing Su Xing needed to do…
Was naturally to increase his strength!
His gaze turned to the simulation panel.
At this moment, Su Xing’s reward storage pool held three unclaimed rewards.
These were rewards Su Xing had saved from previous simulations—he only needed to pay additional origin energy to withdraw them.
Without hesitation, Su Xing directly attempted to claim the stored rewards.
“I choose to bring out the Great Shaman Body Forging Scripture Cultivation, Formation Dao Comprehension… and the improved spirit field grotto-heaven.”
As his words fell, the simulator’s Chime sounded in Su Xing’s ears.
【Ding, you have successfully brought out Great Shaman Body Forging Scripture Cultivation. Cost: 22,000,000 origin energy points. Remaining origin energy: 29,267,877 points…】
【You have successfully brought out Formation Dao Comprehension. Cost: 1,100,000 origin energy points. Remaining origin energy: 28,167,877 points…】
【You have successfully brought out spirit field grotto-heaven (improved). Cost: 3,300,000 origin energy points. Remaining origin energy: 24,867,877 points…】
Because of the additional extraction, each reward charged Su Xing an extra ten percent in origin energy.
But it was all worth it.
As three consecutive Chimes rang out, Su Xing’s body underwent a tremendous transformation.
His muscles visibly swelled across his entire body, inflating like balloons.
The bulging muscles in his arms and thighs seemed to contain the power to destroy heaven and earth.
His bones and meridians emitted explosive rumbling sounds, the successive bursts enough to unnerve anyone who heard them.
At the same time, the aura around Su Xing’s entire body began to shift violently…
A phantom of a Wu Clan giant appeared behind Su Xing.
About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn passed before Su Xing slowly opened his eyes, gradually adapting to the rampaging power within his body.
“Whew, in terms of pure physical strength alone… it’s increased by more than three times!”
“And what’s even more terrifying is the change in my primordial energy!”
Su Xing extended his hand. Invisible primordial energy wrapped around every inch of his skin.
Su Xing could feel that his primordial energy had undergone a qualitative transformation.
Both in power and quantity, there was a tenfold increase or more!
Peering inward with his divine sense, Su Xing could also see within his dantian sea of qi a Primordial Energy Tree that had not yet fully matured.
About five chi (1.67 m) tall, its trunk brimming with primordial energy, continuously replenishing Su Xing’s reserves.
“The feeling of getting stronger… it really is quite nice…”
“Good thing the breakthrough in body tempering cultivation didn’t cause much of a commotion, otherwise it couldn’t have been done inside the spirit field grotto-heaven…”
Su Xing blinked.
Compared to body tempering cultivation stepping into the Golden Immortal realm, the improvement in Formation Dao comprehension felt somewhat unremarkable.
Su Xing’s mind simply gained a wealth of new memories related to the Formation Dao, and his mastery had truly reached Paragon Peak.
A seventeenth-order spirit-gathering formation, multiple formations of the fifteenth order and above… As for those obscure low-level formations, Su Xing could set them up with a single glance.
With this, Su Xing had effortlessly become one of fewer than a handful of seventeenth-order Formation Dao Paragons in the entire cultivation world!
Spending over twenty million origin energy didn’t just enhance Su Xing himself.
While Su Xing’s cultivation and strength were improving, the spirit field grotto-heaven also underwent earth-shattering changes.
Within the originally ten-thousand-li (5,000 km) spirit field grotto-heaven, which had been chaotic and disordered, numerous living beings appeared out of thin air.
There were plants infused with spiritual energy, as well as various low-level demonic beasts that had just begun to develop rudimentary intelligence.
They added considerable vitality to Su Xing’s spirit field grotto-heaven.
At the same time, several large human cities had appeared within the spirit field grotto-heaven.
Each city could accommodate tens of millions of people.
Finally, what Su Xing cared about most was the birth of the Grand Grotto-Heaven!
At the spot where spiritual energy was most abundant within the spirit field grotto-heaven, layers upon layers of barriers had been erected, sealing off the inside from the outside.
Entering that valley cavern-dwelling, one found birdsong, fragrant flowers, and spiritual energy so dense it was nearly condensing into liquid.
Several spirit stone veins lay buried beneath the valley.
A full three million Spirit-Gathering Flowers covered the valley.
Various Breath-Concealing Formations, defensive formations, and spirit-gathering formations were all operating.
On a small hill a hundred zhang (333 m) tall, a stream wound its way gently downward.
This stream was formed entirely from spirit liquid.
And the spirit liquid in the stream was no ordinary low-grade variety—it was high-grade spirit liquid!
At the center of the Water-Gathering Formation stood a highland protected by formations.
In the center of the highland was a circular pool about one person tall and one zhang (3.33 m) wide.
This was also the core of the entire valley’s Grand Grotto-Heaven!
Spiritual energy continuously gathered here, producing roughly a thousand drops of immortal liquid for Su Xing each day!
In the brief moment Su Xing stood dazed, several drops of immortal liquid had already condensed.
With a thought, a glistening drop of immortal liquid appeared before Su Xing.
He parted his lips slightly, and the immortal liquid slid down his throat.
Su Xing immediately felt refreshed and invigorated, his condition improving noticeably.
The immortal liquid entered his body and transformed in an instant into pure magical power, causing Su Xing’s reserves to increase by an imperceptible sliver.
“Tsk tsk, truly worthy of the legendary immortal liquid…”
“A single drop is worth a hundred drops of supreme-grade spirit liquid…”
Su Xing smacked his lips.
This immortal liquid was like ambrosia and divine nectar, the kind that left one wanting more.
In this cultivation era where even low-grade spirit liquid was precious, immortal liquid was undoubtedly a treasure among treasures.
“Finally… after bringing out this portion of cultivation, I feel much more at ease!”
Su Xing was in quite a good mood. With his body tempering cultivation enhanced, his ability to protect himself had increased significantly.
“The trivial matters on Earth are more or less taken care of…”
“But the remaining twenty-some million origin energy probably still won’t be enough to spend!”
“Next, it’s time to go plunder the Abyss…”
A hint of amusement flickered in Su Xing’s eyes.
Just as Red Moon harvested Earth’s Class Users like leeks, wasn’t Su Xing doing the exact same thing to the red-eyed aliens in the Abyss?
But before that—
“Before I left the Endless Abyss last time, that sense of threat I felt was no illusion.”
“Before heading to the Endless Abyss, I should run another simulation first!”
Su Xing glanced at the simulation panel. He still had four simulation attempts remaining.
More than enough for scouting purposes.
With that thought, Su Xing silently intoned:
“Begin simulation!”
【Simulation #154 initiated. Current remaining origin energy: 24,867,877 points… Remaining simulation attempts: 3.】
【Simulation begins!】
【Drawing a talent costs 1 origin energy point. Draw?】
“Yes!”
【Ding, congratulations! You have obtained the gold talent Jewel-Radiant Body… Probability of drawing a gold talent next time: 100%…】
【Jewel-Radiant Body】: One of the rare and unusual constitutions in the cultivation world. It possesses the peculiar ability to attract treasures. However, those with a Jewel-Radiant Body emit a dazzling treasure-light, making them easily noticed by other creatures.
“Jewel-Radiant Body…”
Su Xing frowned slightly upon seeing this new talent.
A peculiar constitution that attracted wealth and treasures—Su Xing had drawn similar talents before.
The difference was that this talent seemed to come with the built-in ability to attract attention…
“What a shame. This talent is of no use to me right now… For the foreseeable future, I still need to prioritize caution!”
“Looks like I’ll need to find a time to give this talent away to someone…”
Su Xing shook his head slightly and turned his gaze to the simulation panel.
【Please select a target for the Plus One talent enhancement…】
“I choose to enhance the Late Bloomer talent…”
【In the spirit field grotto-heaven, you became aware that you were in a simulation.】
【You noticed that your body emanated a strange radiance, drawing the attention of many passersby as you walked along the road.】
【This Jewel-Radiant Body was disadvantageous for your next course of action, so you casually found a passerby and used the Gift of Roses talent to give this body constitution away to them.】
【Next, you headed to the Endless Abyss.】
【After more than twenty days, the aliens on floors one through two hundred of the Endless Abyss had respawned.】
【You slaughtered your way through, spending five days to once again reach the two hundredth floor of the Abyss.】
【After arriving at floor two hundred and one of the Abyss, the red-eyed alien enemies here had reached True God level strength.】
【Each floor still had one to five alien deities standing guard.】
【However, these red-eyed aliens posed no threat to you whatsoever.】
【You spent approximately five days killing your way from floor two hundred and one to floor three hundred of the Abyss.】
【Beyond floor three hundred, Divine Sovereign-level aliens began to appear!】
【A faint sense of threat between your brows reminded you that the deeper you went, the more likely you were to encounter powerful aliens…】
【And so, you decided to accelerate your pace of sweeping through the aliens.】
【You spent another five days killing your way from floor three hundred to floor four hundred of the Abyss.】
【It was precisely at this point that you encountered three unprecedentedly powerful red-eyed aliens.】
【These were three red-eyed aliens with strength approaching Golden Immortal level—clearly not something that should appear on a mere floor four hundred.】
【But for you as you were now, a mere three Golden Immortals were no match.】
【You spent three days killing all three red-eyed aliens. In addition to harvesting Abyss Stones, you also obtained a massive amount of blood essence.】
【However, just as you prepared to continue exploring deeper, your Blessed by Fortune talent sent frantic warnings!】
【After performing a divination, you sensed a powerful aura approaching you at a terrifying speed.】
【At the same time, an invisible barrier of restriction enveloped the entire Abyss, seemingly trying to prevent you from leaving.】
【You immediately understood—this was the Red Moon making its move!】
In the Real World, Su Xing’s heart clenched when he saw this.
“As expected, as I kept going deeper… especially after killing alien deities and those three second-tier deities, it made Red Moon feel threatened?”
“So then… as long as I kill those three aliens rivaling Golden Immortals, it will alert Red Moon?”
“I wonder if I can escape from Red Moon’s grasp?”
Su Xing was somewhat worried.
However, compared to the risks he was taking, the rewards from venturing into the Abyss again were undeniably staggering.
A full four hundred floors of the Endless Abyss provided Su Xing with origin energy numbering in the tens of millions.
That would be enough to cover the cultivation advancement costs of several future simulations.
And the price he had to pay was merely this sliver of risk.
“But risk can be avoided!”
“As long as I can escape from Red Moon this time… in the future, it’ll be Red Moon that has to run from me!”
Su Xing murmured.
“Besides that, I need to speed up the rate at which I clear the first three hundred floors of the Abyss… otherwise the Abyss trip alone would take half a month, which is still too slow…”
Su Xing’s expectation was to earn this sum of energy within ten days!
Then leave Earth at his leisure!
“Well then, let me see… whether the current me can survive an encounter with Red Moon!”
With a hint of anticipation in his heart, Su Xing turned his gaze to the simulation panel.
【Without the slightest hesitation, you reached out and tore open a spatial passage before you.】
【An invisible resistance tried to prevent this spatial passage from forming…】
【But now that your spatial Dao had reached fifth realm Major Mastery, your command over space was incomparable to before. Even with the restrictions Red Moon had set in place, you still managed to tear open a passage with great difficulty.】
【Ducking into the passage, you finally left the Endless Abyss and returned to Earth…】
【However, upon returning to Earth, you didn’t hesitate for even a moment before attempting to tear open space again to leave Earth…】
【But in mere moments, the entire planet underwent an earth-shattering transformation.】
【The entire sky turned crimson in an instant, as though a bottle of red ink had been spilled across it.】
【A massive red eyeball, as large as the moon, appeared in the sky.】
【That bloodshot pupil pierced through the clouds and layers of barriers, locking onto you.】
【In that instant, cold sweat dripped from your forehead.】
【A sourceless terror slammed into your chest in an instant.】
【Your powerful body, at this moment, couldn’t even take a single step. You had completely lost the ability to move!】
【You had seen this kind of ability before, on that crimson-eyed deity!】
【But the Red Moon right now was incomparably stronger than that crimson-eyed deity had been…】
【Your breathing grew increasingly heavy. You clenched your teeth, trying to take that impossibly difficult step…】
【At the same time, you widened your eyes and looked up at the sky.】
【You saw what seemed to be a hint of mockery in those crimson pupils… as if toying with a little insect on the roadside.】
【A sinister red light gradually radiated outward from those crimson pupils, slowly approaching you.】
【Your Blessed by Fortune talent sent frantic warnings… as though the moment this red light touched you, you would never recover!】
【You struggled desperately, your mind racing at full speed, searching for a way to escape this sinister red light…】
【Six thousand four hundred Protective Sword Auras appeared around you in an instant, attempting to sever the intangible red light.】
【However, it was completely useless!】
【Refusing to accept it, you tried again…】
【The towering phantom of a Wu Clan giant, ten thousand zhang (33.3 km) tall, appeared behind you.】
【Your physical body instantly grew several times stronger, your raw power increasing a hundredfold… yet you were like a bolt welded firmly in place, utterly unable to move a single inch.】
【The physical body you were so proud of had failed you at this moment…】
【You desperately activated the power of space, trying to teleport yourself off Earth.】
【However, the restrictions still held you in place… before the Red Moon’s true form, your power of space was drastically diminished, completely unusable…】
【Gradually, hallucinations began to appear before your eyes…】
【Clinging to your last shred of lucidity, you played your trump cards one by one.】
【Void Slash—a sword strike that pierced through tens of thousands of li of space, slashing toward the Red Moon’s true form high in the sky.】
【However, the sword intent hadn’t even reached the Red Moon before it was blocked…】
【The power of the Five Elements gathered before you, and the dazzling Five Elements Immortal Burst hurtled toward the Red Moon…】
【Useless. Still useless!】
【You gradually felt a hint of despair…】
【Under the Red Moon’s overwhelming pressure, even your last thread of conscious reasoning began to fade…】
【However, right at that moment—】
【From within your body, a soft chime of a sword rang out.】
【It was the Blackice sword!】
【This immortal treasure, merely a mid-grade supreme post-celestial treasure, exerted its greatest effect at this very moment.】
【The Blackice sword could keep its wielder’s mind clear!】
【As a bone-piercing chill surged into your heart, you regained your clarity.】
【You watched as this Blackice sword, nurtured for so long, flew under the Artifact Spirit’s control toward the Red Moon tens of thousands of li away.】
【However, the moment the Blackice sword touched that sinister red light, it froze in midair, and within seconds its glow dimmed to a feeble flicker before shattering layer by layer…】
【Your heart felt as though it were being cut by a knife. This spirit sword that had accompanied you for so long was once again destroyed before your eyes.】
【But this bought you a brief moment of time.】
【You took a deep breath and struggled to mobilize your remaining immortal power and all of your primordial energy.】
【The Spirit Realm unfolded around you…】
【One zhang (3.33 m)… ten zhang (33.3 m)… a hundred zhang (333 m)…】
【As the Spirit Realm painstakingly expanded, your supernatural arts and Great Dao comprehension multiplied severalfold.】
【You could feel that Red Moon’s bindings had weakened considerably.】
【Gritting your teeth, you squeezed out the very last drop of your potential.】
【Protective Sword Auras appeared around your body once more…】
【Ten types of Great Dao comprehension transformed into brilliant colors, hovering around you.】
【The towering phantom of a Wu Clan giant, ten thousand zhang (33.3 km) tall, appeared behind you once again.】
【A single thought, and three flowers bloom!】
【Gold, silver, and lead—Three Flowers gathered Above the Crown!】
【The Heavenly Thunder Sacred Body exerted its utmost to help you resist Red Moon’s interference.】
【This was your strongest form…】
【At this moment, you had played every last trump card, all for the sole purpose of… surviving!】
【You admitted that you had underestimated Red Moon’s terror!】
【This former chief god who had fallen tens of thousands of years ago was still terrifying…】
【The abilities it displayed were far beyond what an Early Golden Immortal cultivator like you could contend with!】
【But even an ant clings to its life.】
【Let alone you?】
【You strained to mobilize every means at your disposal…】
【Finally, gritting your teeth, your body lurched forward one step…】
【Just that one step!】
【It made you feel suddenly unburdened!】
【You had broken free of Red Moon’s bindings…】
【You locked eyes with the red moon high in the sky.】
【You caught a flicker of surprise in those crimson pupils, and… mockery!】
【You closed your eyes in something close to despair.】
【In the end, you were still one step too slow!】
【That sinister red light had already fallen upon your body…】
【In an instant, you lost control of your body once again…】
【You felt your life force and lifespan draining away at a visible rate.】
【In the blink of an eye, your breathing grew heavy…】
【Your once jet-black hair was now streaked with silver-white strands…】
【Your skin, once smooth and lustrous as jade, began to wrinkle and sag in an instant…】
【You screamed helplessly…】
【A foul stench began to rise from your physical body…】
【Like an old man on the verge of death… you began to decay…】
【You watched helplessly as the red light seeped through your skin, and like sinking into a swamp, the more you struggled, the faster you aged.】
【Maggots and flies appeared on your skin…】
【This state was just like an immortal succumbing to the five signs of celestial decay…】
【Your eyelids grew heavier and heavier…】
【Gradually, you lost consciousness!】
【You died!】
【Ding, this simulation has ended!】
In the Real World, Su Xing stared at the simulation text before him as a drop of cold sweat slid down from his brow.