Chapter 451 – She Left You an Entire World!

Chapter 451 – She Left You an Entire World!

Hearing this, Su Xing deeply empathized.

All beneath the Great Firmament are mere ants—these words were no mere saying.

If the alien race lacked chief god-level existences, even dozens of first-tier deities would be utterly defenseless!

As long as one or two top-tier powers allied together and dispatched one or two Great Firmament Golden Immortals, in the snap of a finger… the alien race could be exterminated!

But unfortunately, the alien race did possess existences rivaling the Great Firmament… and not just one!

Even now, the alien race had grown so powerful that their strength already surpassed the combined might of all cultivators in the Three Thousand Worlds!

But had the alien race truly grown to this point over tens of millions of years?

Or had the alien race always possessed such strength, merely hiding it all along?

“If it’s the former, that’s still manageable, but if it’s the latter…”

Thinking of this, Su Xing shuddered with dread.

If the alien race had been hiding themselves all along, only to reveal their full might at the right moment… that would be far too terrifying!

Because it would mean that from the very beginning, the alien race had come with the sole purpose of annihilating the entire human race!

“So, which is it—the former or the latter…”

Su Xing shook his head slightly, unable to know the answer.

In his ears, the Celestial Demon General continued:

“The Luotian Sect’s decline from its peak spanned millions of years…”

“But the battle that truly turned the Luotian Sect’s advantage into disadvantage, that squandered their favorable position, was the battle where the Luotian Ancestor was ambushed and gravely wounded…”

“In that battle, dozens of Supreme Unity Golden Immortals from the Luotian Sect perished, including Ancestor Wuge who also fell in battle… hundreds of Golden Immortals died, their souls unable to enter the cycle of reincarnation!”

“After that battle, the Luotian Sect’s strength was greatly diminished… from the most powerful force in the world, it gradually fell to the bottom ranks among top-tier powers…”

At this point, a trace of fury flickered in the Celestial Demon General’s eyes.

“That battle occurred approximately eight million years ago…”

“At some unknown time, a rumor began spreading throughout the Three Thousand Worlds…”

“The Luotian Mirror, one of the three great primordial chaos treasures, was in the Luotian Ancestor’s possession!”

“And more importantly… the rumor claimed that in an era where the holy path was severed, the Luotian Mirror was the sole hope for attaining Sainthood…”

“It was precisely because of the Luotian Mirror that the Luotian Ancestor was able to become a pinnacle Great Firmament Golden Immortal in merely a few million years, and establish the vast Luotian Sect!”

Su Xing’s heart skipped a beat upon hearing this—the Luotian Mirror held the secret to Sainthood?

Was this rumor true or false?

He had possessed the Luotian Mirror for so many years, experienced dozens of simulations, yet never seemed to have discovered any secret to Sainthood within it!

Though the Luotian Mirror was powerful, it could only save vast amounts of cultivation time and accumulate vast resources… it was more of a strategic treasure.

It seemed to have little to do with the secret of Sainthood…

“Is it because I haven’t fully restored the Luotian Mirror?” Su Xing mused thoughtfully.

Unaware of Su Xing’s thoughts, the Celestial Demon General simply continued:

“But rumors are just rumors… even the Luotian Ancestor herself didn’t know the Luotian Mirror held any secret to Sainthood…”

“Yet with the Luotian Ancestor’s pride, she never spoke out to deny it… and so the top powers of the Three Thousand Worlds all fixed their gazes upon the Luotian Ancestor!”

“They hoped for the Luotian Ancestor’s death… as long as the Luotian Ancestor fell, they would have a chance to obtain the Luotian Mirror!”

“At the time… as a member of the Luotian Sect’s hidden branch, I was traveling in disguise… with the Luotian Sect’s resources supporting me, in less than two million years, the Great Shaman Body Forging Art reached the eighth level, and my strength was no less than that of a Great Firmament Golden Immortal!”

At this, the Celestial Demon General showed a hint of pride.

In merely two million years, achieving Great Firmament Golden Immortal level… such speed was indeed something to be proud of.

Even in the ancient era, among the Wu Clan’s lineage, this would rank among the very top prodigies.

Even Su Xing, without the simulator’s assistance, would fall far short of the Celestial Demon General!

“After attaining Great Firmament-level strength, I learned of the Luotian Sect’s dire situation… and so I wanted to return to reinforce the Luotian Domain.”

“But my whereabouts had somehow already been discovered… a cultivator I never expected blocked my path back to the Luotian Domain!”

At this, the Celestial Demon General gritted his teeth and spat out a name:

“The paragon of the righteous path… Qingyunzi!”

“By that time, Qingyunzi had long been a renowned Great Firmament Golden Immortal… naturally, my strength was no match for his!”

“Yet he didn’t try to kill me—he merely prevented me from returning to reinforce the Luotian Sect…”

Su Xing’s heart lurched upon hearing this.

It was Qingyunzi who had stopped the Celestial Demon General!?

Though Su Xing had vaguely deduced some of this before, hearing the Celestial Demon General confirm it himself left Su Xing’s worldview somewhat shattered!

Could Qingyunzi truly be a traitor to the human race?

But based on Su Xing’s understanding of Qingyunzi, it seemed he shouldn’t be capable of such a thing.

Qingyunzi, while he had used certain methods in his pursuit of eternal life…

Overall, compared to the vast majority of cultivators in the cultivation world, he was far more righteous.

He absolutely qualified as a righteous cultivator… he shouldn’t commit such an act of betrayal against the human race!

Just as Su Xing was puzzling over this, the Celestial Demon General spoke:

“Sigh, it was only later that I learned… Qingyunzi was not a traitor to the human race… but what he did was indeed grounds for suspicion of treachery!”

“Later, Qingyunzi once explained himself to me.”

“Before he had attained the Great Firmament, he once encountered the Luotian Ancestor… the two of them had entered an ancient Secret Realm together to explore, and each gained their own rewards.”

“What Qingyunzi obtained was the One Qi Transforms into Three Purities… after he cultivated it to the Great Firmament level, he vaguely sensed something was amiss with this technique.”

“Therefore, Qingyunzi once asked the Celestial Secrets Pavilion to perform a divination, seeking a method to resolve the flaw in his supernatural art…”

“In the end, the answer the Celestial Secrets Pavilion Master gave pointed toward the Luotian Sect!”

“Combined with Qingyunzi recalling how he and the Luotian Ancestor had entered the Secret Realm together… he naturally grew even more suspicious that the Luotian Ancestor possessed a method to mend the flaw in the One Qi Transforms into Three Purities.”

After a pause, the Celestial Demon General continued:

“Therefore, Qingyunzi later sought out the Luotian Ancestor, hoping to obtain the method to mend the flaw in the One Qi Transforms into Three Purities…”

“The Luotian Ancestor already had a conflict with Qingyunzi from the Secret Realm incident, and naturally refused… and so the grudge was sealed!”

“The enmity of blocking one’s path of Dao is greater than the heavens!”

“Later, Qingyunzi searched for many methods to mend the flaw in the One Qi Transforms into Three Purities, but none succeeded.”

“Until just before that fateful battle erupted, Qingyunzi divined that his opportunity to attain Sainthood lay hidden within the Luotian Sect!”

“Therefore, after much internal struggle… Qingyunzi still chose to take action!”

“Though he did not directly attack the Luotian Sect, Qingyunzi chose to block me from returning to reinforce the Luotian Sect…”

“In the words of that old Daoist bull-nose: every peck and every drink is predestined—the Luotian Ancestor had blocked his Dao… now it was only fitting he return the favor, and thus the karmic debt between them would be settled!”

Hearing this, Su Xing furrowed his brow slightly.

He somewhat understood the events of that era now.

Though Qingyunzi had not directly destroyed the Luotian Sect, he had indeed played a role in fanning the flames of its downfall!

But Su Xing felt this action couldn’t exactly be called a great evil.

After all, Qingyunzi hadn’t directly betrayed the human race.

Moreover, the Luotian Ancestor had blocked his path of Dao—they were mortal enemies to begin with…

It was hard to say who was right and who was wrong.

But from the Luotian Sect’s standpoint, Qingyunzi was naturally their enemy.

Thinking of this, Su Xing let out a sigh and could only say:

“What’s past is past… it’s been thousands of years, and there are barely any of the Luotian lineage left. Surely this karmic debt can be considered settled?”

After hearing Su Xing’s words, the Celestial Demon General glanced at him and merely sneered coldly:

“Hmph, as if it could be resolved so easily!”

“If not for the alien race’s invasion being so dire right now… this old man would march straight to the Azure Origin Domain and teach that Qingyunzi a lesson!”

Then the Celestial Demon General thought of something else and added:

“However, I’ve heard that Qingyunzi, affected by the flaw in the One Qi Transforms into Three Purities… has already succumbed to demonic corruption. Now that is truly gratifying!”

“Ha ha ha~”

The Celestial Demon General threw his head back and laughed heartily several times.

Su Xing remained silent after hearing this.

This Celestial Demon General was indeed clear about his grudges, but he was also quite the straightforward character!

“Sigh… since the grudge hasn’t been resolved, it seems borrowing the Celestial Demon General’s power to help Qingyunzi dispel his inner demons is absolutely impossible…”

Su Xing thought to himself.

He had originally planned to have the Celestial Demon General help him search for the Celestial Sun Grass, since this Celestial Demon Domain was his home turf.

But now it seemed Su Xing couldn’t directly tell the Celestial Demon General about this matter.

He would have to keep it hidden…

After thinking it over, Su Xing still tried to persuade him:

“Qingyunzi’s demonic corruption is no blessing for our human race!”

“Though as a successor of the Luotian lineage, I despise him…”

“But the Three Thousand Worlds are not what they once were… the alien race has grown powerful, and Qingyunzi can be considered a righteous cultivator…”

“With Qingyunzi corrupted, the Azure Origin Domain has lost its pillar—how long can it hold against the alien race?”

“When the lips are gone, the teeth grow cold. Once the Azure Origin Domain falls… the pressure on the other great domains will multiply immensely, and how could they hope to escape unscathed?”

“When that time comes, the extinction of the human race… won’t be far off!”

Su Xing appealed to both emotion and reason, laying out the situation for the Celestial Demon General.

The Celestial Demon General naturally understood all of this. After hearing Su Xing’s words, he did not refute them.

He merely gave a cold snort, tacitly acknowledging Su Xing’s assessment.

Even so, the Celestial Demon General showed no intention of resolving his grudge with Qingyunzi.

Sensing the delicate atmosphere, Su Xing hurriedly moved the conversation along:

“Senior… what happened after that?”

The Celestial Demon General collected his displeasure and continued reminiscing:

“After that!”

“The alien race set an inescapable net, and seven alien chief gods led by the one codenamed ‘Slaughter’ combined their forces… launching a full-scale invasion of the Luotian Domain!”

“The other powers either fanned the flames… or stood by with folded arms, watching as the Luotian Domain was invaded!”

“No matter how strong the Luotian Sect was, how could it withstand seven chief gods?”

“After a great war lasting ten thousand years, the Luotian Sect’s reserves were utterly depleted, and there was no turning back…”

“Every Supreme Unity Golden Immortal was slain, barely one in ten Golden Immortals survived… and the Luotian Ancestor, despite her grievous wounds, joined the battle, ultimately dying from exhaustion of her strength…”

“By the time I reached the Luotian Domain, it was all too late…”

“I only managed to see the Luotian Ancestor one final time…”

At this, a glistening tear flashed in the Celestial Demon General’s eyes as he spoke:

“Originally, I intended to live and die alongside the Luotian Sect…”

“But the Luotian Ancestor seemed to have already foreseen that defeat was inevitable—even with my addition, it would be hopeless…”

“Therefore, she hoped I would preserve my strength and safeguard a portion of the legacy for her… until the day a new opportunity arose, when perhaps the grand ambition of the Luotian Sect could be revived!”

Hearing this, Su Xing had now gained a fairly complete picture of the events of that era.

The Celestial Demon General was indeed a successor of the Luotian lineage.

But because of his Wu Clan bloodline, he was insufficient to bear the entire Luotian Sect’s legacy… and so he could only preserve a portion of the legacy for the Luotian Ancestor.

At this point, Su Xing asked with some confusion:

“Even if those great powers were unwilling to intervene… what about the Celestial Secrets Pavilion?”

“The Celestial Secrets Pavilion has always taken it as their mission to defend the human race—surely they wouldn’t have just stood by?”

The Celestial Demon General nodded slightly at this:

“Indeed, during that period… the Celestial Secrets Pavilion was one of the few top-tier powers that stood on the same front as the Luotian Sect!”

“But unfortunately, the Celestial Secrets Pavilion had the safety of the Heavenly Secrets Domain to attend to, and couldn’t provide much aid to the Luotian Domain.”

“Moreover, including the Celestial Secrets Pavilion, all the powers believed the human race could never lose to the alien race…”

“They always assumed they should destroy the Luotian Sect first, then take their time exterminating the alien race afterward.”

“Even the Celestial Secrets Pavilion believed that until the human race faced an existential crisis, the actions targeting the Luotian Sect were merely internal disputes among humans…”

After a pause, the Celestial Demon General then spoke a sentence that sent chills down Su Xing’s spine.

“But who could have known?”

“It was only just before the Luotian Ancestor’s death that she discovered… the alien race’s true strength was far from so simple!”

“Among the alien race, there existed… beings above the chief god level!”

Hearing this, Su Xing’s scalp went numb!

Indeed, Su Xing’s suspicions had been correct!

Chief gods were equivalent to Great Firmament Golden Immortals… which meant the alien race possessed existences at the Saint level!

Though Su Xing had always suspected this, he had no concrete evidence.

Now, hearing it confirmed from the Celestial Demon General’s own mouth, Su Xing still felt the weight of it pressing down on him.

The human race had no hope of attaining Sainthood… yet the alien race possessed beings comparable to Saints.

Without producing a Saint of their own, how could the human race possibly oppose the alien race?

Right now, the human race was the fish on the chopping board… if the alien race so wished, couldn’t they exterminate humanity at any time?

Fortunately, the Celestial Demon General’s next words gave Su Xing a glimmer of hope.

“It’s only because of certain reasons… that the alien race’s beings above the chief god level cannot directly enter the Five Great Domains…”

“Heh heh, but truly laughable… when the human race’s top powers learned that the alien race’s strength exceeded all expectations and that they possessed chief gods… they actually still believed that as long as they prioritized destroying the Luotian Sect and obtaining the Luotian Mirror, they could acquire the legacy, and from it a Saint would be born to drive out the alien race!”

“What a pity—they raised a tiger only for it to become a calamity… now the alien race has reached a point where the very survival of cultivators is at stake!”

After several cold laughs, the Celestial Demon General continued recounting the Luotian Sect’s secret history.

“Later, as the Luotian Sect faced annihilation, three safeguards were left behind to ensure the legacy would endure…”

“The first safeguard: gather the Luotian Sect’s most trusted elites, lead a portion of the promising disciples, and scatter them across the various realms of the Luotian Domain and into neighboring great domains…”

“To ensure the flame would be passed on… but at that time, there were already traitors within the Luotian Sect, so it’s unknown how much of this legacy actually survived…”

Su Xing nodded slightly upon hearing this.

In reality, the Luo Tian legacy fragments that Su Xing had collected were precisely the results of those Luotian Sect members who had led promising disciples to various realms.

But after all his explorations, Su Xing had never found a single living successor of the Luotian lineage…

Without a doubt, this first safeguard had failed.

“The second safeguard: after the Luotian Ancestor fell in battle, her Mount—the Five-Colored Azure Ox—led a portion of the sect’s disciples and sealed themselves away… the entire group entered the Luotian Mirror!”

“From that point on, the Luotian Mirror was sealed… and no one knew of it, until a successor of the Luotian lineage appeared!”

At this, the Celestial Demon General glanced at Su Xing, a hint of appreciation in his eyes:

“Judging by your current cultivation and strength… you should have inherited the Luotian Sect’s most critical legacy…”

“If Master-Uncle Ling’er’s spirit watches from above, she would surely be gratified!”

Su Xing pressed his lips together. Luo Ling’er, of course, referred to the Luotian Ancestor.

And given the Celestial Demon General’s generation, it was only proper for him to address the Luotian Ancestor as Master-Uncle.

After a pause, the Celestial Demon General finally said:

“As for the third and final safeguard of the legacy… that would naturally be me!”

“In Master-Uncle Ling’er’s final moments, she entrusted the most critical legacy to me!”

“She said that if a sufficiently outstanding successor of the Luotian lineage were to appear—one with hope of reviving the Luotian Sect’s grand ambition—then I should pass this legacy on to them!”

“Over tens of millions of years, I’ve encountered a few decent successors of the Luotian lineage… but all met untimely deaths.”

“None of them reached the requirements for inheriting this legacy…”

“Only you—I believe… with your current potential, you have finally met this requirement!”

Unable to contain himself any longer, Su Xing asked:

“Senior… so what exactly did the Luotian Ancestor leave for me?”

The Celestial Demon General took a deep breath, his gaze drifting into reminiscence, somewhat distant, before he finally spoke:

“She… she left you an entire world!”