"Hah..."
A soft exhale escaped Su Min's lips as she blinked awake. The first thing she saw was Xie Yingying's face hovering close, those obsidian eyes gleaming with quiet amusement, watching her like a satisfied cat that had finally cornered its prey.
"You forfeited?" Su Min murmured, her voice rough from disuse.
Another breath left her as she sat up, rolling her stiff shoulders. Three, maybe four days had passed since that brutal battle, just enough time to purge the last traces of medicinal energy from her system and mend her injuries. The fact that the Golden Core Heavenly Ranking had not dragged her into another match could only mean one thing. Xie Yingying had withdrawn after her own victory.
"Of course she did."
Xie Yingying tilted her head, her expression unreadable. "I left the opportunity to you." A pause. "If we fought now, you would have to expose every last trump card you have left."
Su Min scoffed, but there was no real bite to it. "And here I thought you just could not bear to hit me."
The corner of Xie Yingying's mouth twitched, almost a smile, but not quite. "don't flatter yourself."
Truthfully, Su Min had only needed a single day to recover from her injuries. The Eastern Azure Wood's enhancement of her physique was no joke. But if they were to fight now, she would not be able to rely on those two pills again. The third one was still usable, and its side effects could be ignored.
"I thought you would take it easy," Xie Yingying mused, tracing idle patterns on Su Min's wrist. "Instead, you fought like a woman possessed."
"Had to." Su Min caught her fingers, squeezing lightly. "That prize was not something I could half ass. It was far too important for me."
A beat of silence. Xie Yingying's smirk softened into something quieter, warmer. She knew better than anyone how stubborn Su Min could be when she fixated on a goal.
And if that meant stepping aside so she would not have to break herself further?
Well. Some battles were not worth winning.
Xie Yingying studied Su Min's pensive expression. "So after the Golden Core Avenue concludes, you will be hunting for more divine artifacts," she said thoughtfully. "Awakening your Five Elements Holy Body completely, that is your real goal, is not it?"
Su Min nodded absently, her fingers tracing the edge of her sleeve. "That is a long term project. Our first priority after leaving here is breaking through to Nascent Soul."
"To handle the Blood Puppet Sect's vengeance?"
A dry chuckle escaped Su Min's lips. "They are barely a footnote. What is a few sealed Nascent Souls and one Soul Transformation elder compared to what is coming?"
Su Min's brow furrowed. In the game, the Golden Core Avenue had only been an interlude. The true second chapter would begin only after the world underwent another, greater upheaval.
Xie Yingying's brow furrowed in turn. "You call that minor?"
"Have you ever heard of the Fallen Immortals?"
"Hm?"
Xie Yingying's expression darkened. She did not understand the term, but the name alone told her it was nothing good.
The Fallen Immortals were not actual immortals. They were cultivators who had once reached heights beyond the known realms. The first three realms, Body Refining, Qi Refining, and Foundation Establishment, were considered the lower tiers. At these stages, the cost of sealing oneself to avoid the Heavenly Tribulation was not exorbitant, and the differences in power were not vast. Thus, many, including Xie Yingying herself, had chosen to be sealed at this level.
Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and Soul Transformation made up the middle tiers. The cost of sealing oneself at these stages grew exponentially, especially for Soul Transformation cultivators, who represented the upper limit of self sealing.
Even the most ancient sects could only afford to seal one or two Soul Transformation experts. Beyond that was impossible. Yet Soul Transformation was not the peak. Those who surpassed it were simply too powerful. No sealing crystal could contain them. If they wished to survive the eons, they had only one option.
Sever their cultivation. Sever their very foundation.
Like the Demon Queen, they would cut away their strength, reducing themselves to the peak of Soul Transformation. Yet, due to their accumulated power and profound insights, even after such a sacrifice, their combat prowess would far exceed that of ordinary Soul Transformation cultivators.
This method was the most stable. And when the world underwent its next great transformation, they would re emerge as apex beings. But such a sacrifice came at a terrible price. To recover their former glory, they needed to devour all living things.
That would herald the true Age of Darkness. The chaos brought by the Demon Queen would pale in comparison. After all, the Demon Queen had only resorted to self severing because she was too weak to obtain enough sealing crystals. But those who had once stood at the pinnacle? They had the means to gather the resources needed to seal themselves at the Soul Transformation level.
Thus, the second chapter of the game revolved around these beings, the true instigators of the Dark Calamity, the Fallen Immortals.
No matter how mighty or noble they had once been, they would now stand against all life. And among the countless mortals, cultivators were the most nourishing prey. Devouring a hundred thousand mortals could not compare to consuming the essence of a single Golden Core cultivator.
"Tell me," Su Min began quietly, "has your Heavenly Yin Sect ever produced anyone who ascended beyond Divine Transformation?"
Xie Yingying hesitated before answering. "We had one ancestor who did."
"And when faced with the Heavenly Decay, what did they do?"
"They... accepted their fate. After sealing me away, they faded with dignity."
Su Min's smile held no warmth. "Now imagine those who refused such grace. Not the ones like Yao Xian'er who severed their ties, nor the Buddhists choosing rebirth. Picture instead the proudest, most powerful cultivators stripping themselves down to Divine Transformation's peak and burying themselves in the deepest seals."
Xie Yingying's breath hitched as understanding dawned on her.
"...only to emerge when the world is ripe for harvest," Su Min finished, her words dripping like poisoned honey. "Feasting on all life to reclaim what they lost. That is the true Age of Blood awaiting us."
The color drained from Xie Yingying's face. Current cultivators could barely reach Divine Transformation. How could they possibly stand against such abominations?
"Why..." Her voice cracked. "Why does no one speak of this?"
"Would shepherds warn their sheep of the slaughter?" Su Min's bitter laugh carried centuries of grim knowledge. "But we have time yet, at least a century before those seals weaken."
As silence stretched between them, Xie Yingying watched the way Su Min's fingers curled into determined fists beneath her sleeves. No despair clouded those eyes, only relentless calculation. The sight steadied her own racing heart. If Su Min still fought, then so would she.
However, there was one thing Su Min had not mentioned. The Fallen Immortals would not emerge all at once. If a sect had a Divine Transformation protector and inherited treasures, they could remain stable for a considerable time.
Her own Eastern Mulberry Island had the Little Golden Crow and the entire Golden Crow Clan's legacy, so self preservation would not be an issue, though expansion would be impossible.
No matter what, Su Min had to grow stronger. Hunting those fallen cultivators was not without its benefits. Their refined essence and ancient treasures were invaluable.
So while Su Min was wary, she was not afraid. As long as she could fully awaken her Five Elements Holy Body before the third chapter arrived, there would still be hope. Otherwise, true suffering would begin. Her time was not limitless, but it was not hopeless either.
Meanwhile, in a small forest within the Golden Core Avenue...
A figure in white robes hovered in the air, a celestial [Gossip of Eight Trigrams] rotating above her head.
"Her origins are completely untraceable, shrouded in chaos."
Yao Xian'er's brows knitted tightly together.
"My laws are already perfected. The first place reward means little to me. I could concede it to her, but..."
Her eyes narrowed, a spark of cold fire igniting within them.
"True power is not obtained through charity. If she wants it, she will have to take it from me."
A spark of anticipation ignited within her. The final battle was coming. And the entire Golden Core Avenue was waiting.
Dawn broke over the Golden Core Avenue as cultivators streamed through its reopened gates like a tidal wave. The air hummed with restless energy and whispered speculation, all centered on yesterday's shocking forfeit.
The Lunar Sovereign Body's withdrawal had sent ripples through the tournament. When Xie Yingying stepped down without a fight, the message was clear. She refused to face her own lover in combat. To the watching world, this could only mean one thing.
Su Min still had an unbeatable card she had not yet played.
Many claimed that the three supreme physiques stood above the rest. But above even them was one exception, Yao Xian'er.
When Su Min had fought three opponents at once, she had been severely injured. The Great Desolate Sacred Body had been chased into embarrassing retreats.
But Yao Xian'er?
Every opponent who faced her felt only one thing.
Invincibility.
Every strike was flawless. Every defense was impenetrable. Every opponent was left with the same bone deep realization that they stood no chance from the very beginning. Where Su Min fought through grit and clever strategy, Yao Xian'er moved with the effortless certainty of the sun rising in the east.
Despite having the most ordinary physique imaginable, her strength defied all logic. Even the Great Desolate Holy Body had fallen after only a few exchanges, without so much as scratching her. Some, like Su Min, had guessed her origins.
To sever all of one's cultivation and start anew?
Of ten such experts, perhaps one would have the resolve. It meant abandoning everything they had worked for, facing untold dangers, and enduring endless tribulations. Those who succeeded usually owed their survival to rare, irreplicable fortunes.
The air itself seemed to vibrate with nervous energy, thousands of breaths held in collective anticipation. Then, like twin stars descending from the heavens, two figures shimmered into existence at opposite ends of the vast arena.
Murmurs rippled through the crowd as gazes flickered between them. Some observers nodded toward Su Min, their reluctant respect evident in the set of their jaws and slight dips of their heads. But when eyes turned to Yao Xian'er, shoulders instinctively hunched, and some found themselves swallowing hard against the sudden dryness in their throats.
"It is starting. Let us see how you handle her."
Tian Hao, still pale from his injuries, clenched his fists. Unlike Su Min, he was not an alchemist. His recovery had been slow. But since he had lost, he would not complain.
Instead, he was curious.
How would Su Min face that monster?
===
"堕仙" (Fallen Immortals):
Chose this over "Corrupted Immortals" to emphasize their fallen from grace nature rather than mere corruption.