Chapter 450 – All Secrets of Luotian Revealed, Even Great Firmament Golden Immortals Have Lifespans
by spirapiraChapter 450 – All Secrets of Luotian Revealed, Even Great Firmament Golden Immortals Have Lifespans
Su Xing gave a slight nod upon hearing this.
Some of what the Celestial Demon General said matched information Su Xing had come across over the years while studying the Luotian Sect’s records.
He had also personally witnessed the Luotian Ancestor’s magnificence during that time reversal simulation.
Extraordinary talent, astonishing destiny, and bearer of the Luotian Mirror.
Any one of these three alone would be enough to make someone exceptional among their peers.
And the Luotian Ancestor, who possessed all three simultaneously, truly deserved to be called the Child of Destiny of that era!
“But all that glory… was nothing more than fleeting clouds!”
A look of reminiscence flickered through the Celestial Demon General’s eyes.
“Back then, with the momentum of ten thousand immortals paying court, the Luotian Sect leapt to become the foremost power among the Five Great Domains after the war… They even claimed exclusive control over the largest territory, the Eastern Domain, which was later renamed the Luotian Domain!”
“The Luotian Ancestor bore the blood debt of her clan’s annihilation… and led her sect to be the first among the top powers to stand against the foreign races.”
“At that time, the Luotian Ancestor’s grand ambition… was to unify the Five Domains, rally all cultivators under heaven, drive out the foreign races, end all wars… and ensure eternal peace for the cultivation world…”
“But at that time, there was no shortage of Great Firmament experts and peak powerhouses in the world. How could they sit idly by and watch the Luotian Sect dominate unchallenged?”
“And so, the major powers both openly and covertly targeted the Luotian Sect, ensuring that whenever Luotian disciples entered other Great Domains, they would face all manner of opposition…”
Su Xing nodded slightly after hearing this.
The Luotian Sect’s ambition was indeed too grand.
Exterminating the foreign races and avenging the blood debt—that was understandable enough.
But unifying the Five Domains… such an ambition could only be achieved by a Saint.
“No wonder the Luotian Sect ultimately met with failure…”
Su Xing shook his head slightly, now somewhat understanding the Luotian Sect’s predicament during that period.
It was the Luotian Ancestor’s strategy that had gone wrong…
If she had first avenged the blood debt, then driven out the foreign races… and finally found a way to unify the Five Great Domains and rebuild the cultivation golden age of the primordial era.
A three-step strategy might not have been impossible to accomplish…
But the Luotian Ancestor was, after all, a heaven’s chosen—the world’s foremost Great Firmament at the time. Her ambitions were too vast, and ultimately they consumed her.
Su Xing silently pondered.
Then the Celestial Demon General’s voice reached his ears once more.
“Since the primordial era, the holy path has been severed and Saints no longer appear in the world… No matter how talented a cultivator may be, the furthest they can reach is the half-saint level.”
“But without attaining Sainthood… one can never achieve true immortality…”
Su Xing’s heart skipped a beat at this, and he couldn’t help but ask:
“Even Great Firmament Golden Immortals… cannot achieve true immortality?”
The Celestial Demon General glanced at Su Xing and gave a slight nod:
“Longevity… is not the same as immortality!”
“Great Firmament Golden Immortals may attain longevity, but without consuming lifespan-extending heavenly treasures… their lifespan is merely 129,600,000 years… a total of one thousand cosmic cycles!”
“For ordinary cultivators, this is perhaps an unimaginably long life…”
“But for the one who survived from the primordial era… the longest-lived Great Firmament in the world, the ancestor of the Zhengyi Sect—once the greatest sect in the Eastern Domain—the Zhengyi Great Firmament… his remaining years were running short!”
Su Xing’s mind raced upon hearing this.
The Zhengyi Sect’s ancestor? The Zhengyi Great Firmament? The most powerful sect in the Eastern Domain over ten million years ago?
This seemed to be the one who had secretly colluded with the foreign races, was discovered by the Luo family, and then massacred the entire Luo clan?
That was probably precisely why Luo Ling’er—the Luotian Ancestor—had harbored such deep hatred for the foreign races.
“Supreme Unity Golden Immortals live tens of millions of years… Great Firmament Golden Immortals live no more than a thousand-odd cosmic cycles… Without achieving Sainthood, one can never attain true immortality?”
Su Xing thought to himself.
He had always assumed that Great Firmament Golden Immortals were truly immortal… Only now, from the Celestial Demon General’s words, did Su Xing learn the secret that even Great Firmament Golden Immortals could not escape death.
“The fear of death… even Great Firmament Golden Immortals cannot rise above it?”
Su Xing sighed, his mind painting vivid pictures.
“A Great Firmament Golden Immortal who had lived over a hundred million years… surviving from the end of the primordial era to the end of the ancient era.”
“Having witnessed the rise and fall of clouds, the shifting of mountains and rivers… having seen countless prodigies rise and perish, observing the tides of ages…”
“Yet with the holy path severed, forever unable to take that final step, with no hope on his cultivation path… gradually being surpassed by later prodigies… Such despair, perhaps even a Great Firmament could not endure?”
“That is precisely why… the Zhengyi Great Firmament chose to betray the human race and become a lackey of the foreign races…”
“What he sought was nothing more than the two words: eternal life…”
Su Xing thought to himself, already forming a rough guess about the grudges of that era.
“So, the Luotian Sect’s Zhengyi Breath Absorption Art… was taken from the Zhengyi Sect?”
“And what connection does the Zhengyi Ancestor have with the Blood Immortal, the founder of today’s Advent Cult? Are they one and the same person?”
A look of doubt flickered through Su Xing’s eyes as he turned to the Celestial Demon General.
The Celestial Demon General held nothing back, revealing every hidden secret of that era:
“The Zhengyi Great Firmament, with his lifespan nearing its end and no hope of Sainthood… naturally refused to fall into the cycle of reincarnation…”
“It was at that moment that the foreign races found him…”
“What exactly they promised him at the time, I do not know…”
“But presumably, it was nothing more than eternal life, or perhaps the promise of achieving Sainthood…”
“And from that point on, a new organization appeared in the world—the Advent Cult!”
“And the person ranked first on the human race’s traitor bounty list—was the Blood Immortal!”
Su Xing’s heart lurched at this!
So it was true—the Zhengyi Great Firmament of old was indeed the Blood Immortal of today!
Under the Celestial Demon General’s explanation, this mysterious organization that had battled Su Xing for years and killed him no fewer than a hundred times in simulations had finally been brought to light.
And at last, Su Xing now knew the identity of its founder!
“The Zhengyi Great Firmament… the Blood Immortal!”
“A peak Great Firmament who has survived since the primordial era…”
“No… wait…”
“Over ten million years ago, the Zhengyi Great Firmament’s lifespan was already nearing its end… yet he has lived safely until now!”
“This means… the Zhengyi Great Firmament has likely advanced another step!”
“A… half-saint?”
Su Xing’s breathing quickened, and a look of gravity appeared in his eyes.
The mastermind behind the Advent Cult was actually a half-saint!
No wonder this traitorous organization had gone undefeated for tens of millions of years!
To date, Su Xing could confirm the existence of only three half-saints.
The Celestial Secrets Pavilion Master was undoubtedly a half-saint—perhaps even the cultivator closest to Sainthood in the entire world.
Qingyunzi, after his demonic corruption, could also be counted as one…
And then the Blood Immortal, who was likely a half-saint as well!
At this thought, Su Xing’s attention shifted to the Celestial Demon General before him.
Qingyunzi, the Celestial Secrets Pavilion Master, and even the Blood Immortal had all taken that step.
Then what about those who were once ranked alongside them…
Had the Celestial Demon General before him, or the Sword Immortal White Emperor from before… also taken that step?
Su Xing pondered thoughtfully.
The Celestial Demon General glanced at the contemplating Su Xing but did not ask, and simply continued:
“The Blood Immortal is the Chief of the Advent Cult, leading the cult in betraying the human race and assisting the foreign races in invading the Three Thousand Worlds…”
“For tens of millions of years, they have inflicted incalculable losses upon the human race…”
At this, a flash of hatred appeared in the Celestial Demon General’s eyes.
“If I ever get my hands on that Blood Immortal, I will take his head!”
After a brief pause, the Celestial Demon General continued:
“The wicked technique created by the Blood Immortal, the 《Blood Immortal Scripture》, defies the natural order of heaven and earth. Even cultivators with mixed spiritual roots, or even those with no spiritual roots at all, can practice it!”
“And its cultivation speed is likely faster than any other technique in existence!”
“However… heretical paths invite heaven’s punishment… All cultivators who practice the Blood Immortal Scripture have lifespans less than half, or even a third, of a normal cultivator’s.”
“For tens of millions of years, the Blood Immortal has used the Blood Immortal Scripture to plant seeds for the Advent Cult in countless unnoticed small worlds… using a survival-of-the-fittest approach to continuously select cultivators with potential.”
“Because of this… the Advent Cult has no shortage of peak combat power, and can be considered one of the top forces in the Three Thousand Worlds today…”
“With the Blood Immortal Scripture as its foundation and the Blood River Technique as its combat method… the more they kill, the stronger their supernatural arts become. Even at the same cultivation level, Advent Cult cultivators are far from weak.”
Su Xing felt deeply moved upon hearing this.
Whether it was Blood Four or Blood Three, the Blood River they wielded in battle could be considered a peak supernatural art!
It likely ranked among the very top of the thirty-six Heavenly Spirit supernatural arts.
The Blood River Technique was truly sinister.
Through endless slaughter, every cultivator or mortal they killed became nourishment for the Blood River.
The more they massacred, the more powerful the supernatural art became!
It was an exceedingly rare growth-type supernatural art…
Combined with the rapid growth potential of the Blood Immortal Scripture.
Even among the Advent Cult’s cadres, as long as they were below Golden Immortal level, no matter how many died, they could be rapidly replaced.
Like leeks… cut them down and they grow right back, impossible to eradicate…
“But no matter how strong the Zhengyi Ancestor was… he was no match for the world’s foremost Great Firmament, the Luotian Ancestor!”
At this, the Celestial Demon General’s eyes filled with deep reminiscence.
“That battle was the battle that unified the Eastern Domain…”
“The Zhengyi Great Firmament, leading twelve Supreme Unity Golden Immortals and seventy-two Golden Immortals of the Zhengyi Sect, laid down a heaven-shaking grand formation within the Zhengyi Sect’s mountain gates… the Rakshasa Myriad Heavens Formation!”
“Legend has it that this formation was passed down from the primordial era. With one Great Firmament as the formation’s eye, supplemented by twelve formation cores and seventy-two formation nodes… its power could seal off the Greater World and trap even a half-saint to death!”
“What’s more… the Zhengyi Great Firmament had secretly brought in a foreign race chief god, whose strength was also at the Great Firmament Golden Immortal level!”
“Two Great Firmament Golden Immortals, twelve Supreme Unity Golden Immortals, seventy-two Golden Immortals… combined with that heaven-shaking grand formation—even a half-saint would struggle against such a force…”
“But the Luotian Ancestor was also a master of Formation Dao… and with her own overwhelming power, the range of her Spirit Realm at that time extended far beyond hundreds of millions of miles—enough to envelop half the Greater World!”
“In the end… that battle raged until the Zhengyi realm was destroyed!”
“The foreign race chief god was slain, none of the twelve Supreme Unity Golden Immortals survived, and all seventy-two Golden Immortals were annihilated…”
“Even the Saint-trapping formation… the Rakshasa Myriad Heavens Formation was shattered to pieces…”
“Only the Zhengyi Great Firmament managed to fake his death and escape with his life.”
“Afterward, the Luotian Ancestor pursued the Zhengyi Great Firmament for three thousand years… until urgent matters in the Luotian Realm forced her to return.”
“But from that point on, the Luotian Sect unified the entire Luotian Domain… As for the Zhengyi Sect’s disciples, any who had colluded with the foreign races were killed regardless of cultivation level.”
“Those who had been deceived were given their freedom—they could join the Luotian Sect… or join other powers. Either choice was acceptable.”
At this point, even the Celestial Demon General’s eyes could not help but show a trace of admiration.
Clear in her grudges, righteous in her principles… the Luotian Ancestor was truly a remarkable woman!
Watching the Celestial Demon General speak at such length, a question rose unbidden in Su Xing’s mind:
Even if the Celestial Demon General was a person of that era… he wouldn’t necessarily know the details this clearly, would he?
And so, Su Xing asked:
“Boss… why do you know so much about what happened back then?”
After hearing Su Xing’s question, the Celestial Demon General gave Su Xing a long, deep look, and finally said:
“Did you know that the Luotian Sect actually had two founders… One was the Luotian Ancestor, and the other was a descendant of the Wu Clan, named Wuge!”
Su Xing feigned a look of confusion, though inwardly his mind stirred—this was exactly the history he had witnessed during the time reversal!
So… what was the Celestial Demon General trying to say?
Su Xing grew even more puzzled, but the Celestial Demon General’s next words left him stunned.
“The Luotian Ancestor and Wuge were the closest of friends… Later, Wuge fell in love with a woman of the Luo clan…”
“And they bore a descendant who carried the Wu Clan’s Bloodline…”
Hearing this, Su Xing felt as though thunder had struck his mind. He stared at the Celestial Demon General before him, silent for a long time.
“My true name is Wu Zhan…”
“By rights, you should actually call me… Grand-Uncle Master!”
When the Celestial Demon General finally revealed his true identity, Su Xing drew a deep breath.
Everything, absolutely everything, clicked into place in Su Xing’s mind!
Why did the Celestial Demon General harbor such hatred for the foreign races?
It was likely not just because of what happened in the Celestial Demon Domain, but also because of the Celestial Demon General’s own origins!
And why did the Celestial Demon General know the events of that era so well?
Why could the Celestial Demon General cultivate the Great Shaman Body Forging Art?
Because… the Celestial Demon General was himself a successor of the Luotian lineage!
Why did the Luotian Ancestor, on her deathbed, trust the Celestial Demon General to wait for the appearance of a new Luotian successor?
Because the Celestial Demon General was the most legitimate heir of the Luotian legacy!
Far more legitimate than Su Xing, this later Luotian successor, by a great measure!
At this thought, another question arose in Su Xing’s mind.
“So… why did the Luotian Ancestor go to the trouble of seeking another Luotian successor… when you are clearly the most rightful heir by blood?”
Su Xing was puzzled. The Celestial Demon General was likely the person in the world most qualified to inherit the Luo Tian legacy.
Upon hearing Su Xing’s words, the Celestial Demon General gave a bitter smile and shook his head:
“Things are not as simple as you think…”
“First, within the Luotian Sect there were two major factions. Though they were inseparable and treated each other as family… they cultivated along different paths.”
“Led by the Luotian Ancestor, the first faction primarily focused on Qi Refinement with Body Tempering as a supplement, cultivating the Luotian Immortal Transformation Art and the Zhengyi Breath Absorption Art… This was the Luotian Sect’s main lineage and its most powerful branch!”
“The second, centered around the Wu Clan descendants, primarily focused on Body Tempering, cultivating the Great Shaman Body Forging Art… This was the hidden lineage, and comparatively weaker.”
“At that time, the Wu Clan was being besieged by all living beings under heaven… and only within the Luotian Sect could the Wu Clan bloodline find shelter, though it had to be kept secret…”
After a pause, the Celestial Demon General continued:
“Second, I have no talent for the path of Qi Refinement… My aptitude there falls far short of my talent for Body Tempering. I was simply not a suitable candidate to inherit the Luotian Ancestor’s legacy.”
“And most of the Wu Clan descendants within the Luotian Sect were the same…”
“Finally… it was because the Luotian Sect needed to preserve a thread of hope!”
The Luotian Sect needed to preserve a thread of hope?
Su Xing’s mind stirred at this…
He did know that after the Luotian Sect faced its catastrophic destruction, it had indeed chosen two methods to preserve its legacy…
But clearly, the Celestial Demon General before him knew the details far more intimately.
Su Xing did not interrupt, and simply listened quietly as the Celestial Demon General continued his account.
“The Luotian Sect’s decline from its zenith… lasted approximately several million years…”
“The reasons were nothing more than internal troubles and external threats!”
At this, a flash of disgust appeared in the Celestial Demon General’s eyes.
“The internal troubles were: within the human race, the major top powers constantly undermined the Luotian Sect. Without effective support, Luotian disciples could not achieve significant breakthroughs against the foreign races.”
“The external threats were: the scale and strength of the foreign races far exceeded the Luotian Ancestor’s expectations!”
“In the early stages of the conflict between humans and foreign races, including the Luotian Ancestor herself, not many peak powerhouses paid attention to the foreign races. Most directed their focus toward competing with other human factions over the Great Dao, resources, and cultivators…”
“The most critical reason was that although the foreign races had occupied some small worlds at the time, they had not demonstrated particularly formidable combat power…”
“Their strongest were merely first-tier deities… which is to say, Supreme Unity Golden Immortals at most!”
“But… even if the foreign races had dozens of first-tier deities, in the eyes of those top powers, they were nothing more than ants!”