[You arrived at the dock.]
[To your surprise, the dock's once-abundant spiritual energy had grown thin. Its orderly buildings had become a field of ruins, and the many immortal cultivators once coming and going had vanished.]
[Only scattered minor Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining cultivators remained, cleaning up the aftermath.]
[You walked toward the only Golden Core True Person here and questioned him.]
[He told you that, several days ago, a thousand-legged monster had attacked the dock.]
[It had devoured every living thing at the entire dock, even draining dry the fifth-order spirit vein beside it.]
[You asked him for detailed information about the thousand-legged monster.]
[He told you what he knew.]
[You discovered that the thousand-legged monster truly was a Strange Lifeform.]
[However, this Strange Lifeform was immensely powerful, enough to rival a Void Returning King.]
[The two Deity Transformation Venerables stationed at the dock had both been devoured by the Strange Lifeform.]
[After devouring the entire dock, the Strange Lifeform had swiftly dived into the seabed and fled.]
"Strange Lifeforms actually appeared on Minghuang Island. There wasn't a Pillar of Heaven that fell here."
"Could the Strange Lifeforms have been brought by a Pillar of Heaven that fell into the nearby seas?"
Su Yang had his suspicions.
Compared with the scattered islands, the vast seas were actually where most Pillars of Heaven fell.
It was merely because few cultivators lived at sea for long periods, and the destruction brought to the sea by the Pillars of Heaven was negligible to the entire expanse, that it had gone unnoticed.
But Su Yang soon felt puzzled again.
"Strange Lifeforms without intelligence frantically pursue their instincts, devouring everything that contains spiritual energy,
so why had this one decisively retreated after devouring a fifth-order spirit vein and several cultivators?"
"Could it be...
that it possessed intelligence too, or that an intelligent commander existed nearby?"
Commander was the name Su Yang had given to Intelligent Strange Lifeforms.
Su Yang found it difficult to deduce any more information, so he continued the simulation.
[More than ten days later, a seafaring vessel from Qixia Island arrived at the dock.]
[The one overseeing the ship was not a Deity Transformation Venerable from Tianjian Sect, but Venerable Tianliang of Wuliang Sect.]
[Seeing the dock already reduced to ruins, a trace of surprise appeared on his face.]
[Upon seeing you, he asked what had happened here.]
[You told him the information you knew.]
[He felt a lingering fear. If he had arrived at the dock more than ten days earlier, he might have become one of the immortal cultivators devoured.]
[He asked you to wait here for two months. He needed to exchange some of Qixia Island's special resources with the factions on Minghuang Island.]
[You agreed.]
[You waited at the dock.]
[You knew that Strange Lifeforms had no interest in places lacking spiritual energy like the dock, making it quite safe for the time being.]
[One month later, you heard news that a sixth-order Strange Lifeform had attacked another coastal town.]
[You had a premonition that this was the Strange Lifeform that had attacked the dock.]
[Two months later, you boarded the ship returning to Qixia Island.]
[At 109 years old, you returned to Tianjian Sect on Qixia Island.]
[You told Venerable Moon Sword about the Strange Lifeform, while giving yourself the title True Person Huoyang.]
[After spreading your title, you immediately entered seclusion.]
[At 110 years old, your second third-order Origin Technique reached perfection.]
[At 116 years old, you broke through to the ninth level of the Golden Core Realm.]
[At 118 years old, your first attribute spell broke past its limit.]
[Your foundation grew stronger.]
[At 120 years old, your third third-order Origin Technique reached perfection.]
[Your origin grew stronger.]
[At 122 years old, you reached the peak of the Golden Core Realm and could begin attempting a breakthrough to Nascent Soul.]
[Your choice was...]
[1. Break through immediately.]
[2. Continue seclusion. Break all your Origin Techniques and attribute spells past their limits before preparing to break through.]
[3. Leave seclusion and take a walk before deciding. Perhaps you might gain new insights.]
"Choose the second option. With Simulated Su Yang's current talent, it might take a long time for the Origin Body Refining Technique to break past its limit, but it should not be difficult for the remaining two attribute spells."
[You continued your seclusion.]
[At 125 years old, your second third-order attribute spell broke past its limit.]
[Your foundation grew stronger.]
[At 128 years old, your third third-order attribute spell broke past its limit.]
[Your foundation reached perfection.]
[You decided to travel the world. Perhaps it would help the Origin Body Refining Technique break past its limit.]
[At this time, your master, Venerable Blazing Sun, came to find you and asked about the Strange Lifeforms.]
[You asked him whether he had some plan in mind.]
[Venerable Blazing Sun told you that Fenghua Island's spiritual energy was declining far too quickly. The Sect Master suspected that Strange Lifeforms existed on the island and feared they would threaten Qixia Island in the future, so he planned to go investigate with two Deity Transformation Venerables.]
[You recalled the Strange Lifeforms on Fenghua Island and told Venerable Blazing Sun about them.]
[Venerable Blazing Sun did not ask where your information had come from. He merely left in a hurry.]
[You waited for Venerable Moon Sword's decision and did not leave Tianjian Sect for the moment.]
[Venerable Moon Sword summoned you.]
[You arrived at the Sect Master's main hall.]
[You found that, besides Venerable Moon Sword, there were eight other Deity Transformation Venerables present.]
[Venerable Moon Sword asked whether the Deity Transformation Venerables present, combined, could exterminate the Strange Lifeforms on Fenghua Island.]
[You shook your head and told her they could not.]
[You roughly understood the strength of the Venerables present. Apart from Venerable Moon Sword and Venerable Blazing Sun, the other six were all high-level Deity Transformation Venerables.]
[Although their overall strength surpassed those three Strange Lifeforms, the Strange Lifeforms' vitality was simply too monstrous. They would need to be killed hundreds or thousands of times in succession before they truly died.]
[Yet the Deity Transformation Venerables of Tianjian Sect only had one life.]
[Venerable Moon Sword indicated that she understood. She said she would personally go investigate first, and after confirming the information, make a trip to the Seven Islands Alliance to ask a Void Returning King to act.]
[You nodded, feeling that this would leave no room for error.]
[You bade farewell to the Deity Transformation Venerables.]
[You left Tianjian Sect and traveled across Qixia Island.]
[At 129 years old, you arrived at the Central Plains and defeated many talented disciples of Wuliang Sect.]
[At 133 years old, you arrived at the Western Regions Plateau. Young monks from Little Zen Temple challenged you, but you defeated them with ease.]
[At 135 years old, you arrived in the Seven Mist Mountain Range region. Revisiting old grounds, you gained a different kind of insight.]
[You entered a state of enlightenment.]
[Your Clear Sword Heart talent activated.]
[You comprehended Sword Intent.]
[You arrived at Fengyuan Prefecture in Chuyun Kingdom.]
[You saw that Purple Cloud Mountain had already fallen into decay. The highest-cultivated practitioner there was only at the sixth level of Qi Refining.]
[You felt that the affairs of the world were ever-changing.]
[You quietly left 50,000 low-grade spirit stones and a Foundation Establishment Pill at the residence of the Purple Cloud Mountain Master.]
[You traveled through the Seven Mist Mountain Range and defeated many Nascent Soul demon beasts.]
[You rescued many Jiang Clan Immortal Family disciples who were out gaining experience.]
[Several female cultivators among them were captivated by your heroic bearing and wished to follow at your side.]
[You felt they would affect your cultivation, so you refused.]
[At 143 years old, you arrived in the Northern Wasteland, where demonic and heretical cultivators gathered.]
[A bandit cultivator coveted your wealth and tried to rob and kill you, but you slew him.]
[A female Hehuan cultivator took a fancy to your handsome appearance and abundant origin. She wanted to abduct you and make you her cultivation cauldron, but you cut her down with a single sword strike.]
[The third demonic son of Black Demon Sect was traveling, and the other cultivators all stepped aside. Only you stood in the middle of the road.]
[The third demonic son's attendant directly attacked, intending to use you to kill a chicken and frighten the monkeys.]
[But he had not expected that you were not a chicken, but a fierce dragon crossing the river.]
[You slew the attendant.]
[The third demonic son flew into a rage and sought to kill you.]
[You displayed powerful Sword Intent and a terrifying aura of spiritual power.]
[The third demonic son admitted defeat, fell to his knees, and called you father.]
[But you did not spare him, swinging your sword to kill him.]
[After doing all this, a sudden insight welled up in your heart.]
[Your third-order Origin Body Refining Techniques all broke past their limits.]
[Your origin greatly increased.]
[Having achieved your goal, you prepared to return to Tianjian Sect and enter seclusion for your breakthrough.]
[A peak Nascent Soul True Lord from Black Demon Sect intercepted you on the road to kill you.]
[You fought a great battle with him, but were no match for him.]
[You unleashed the fifth-order supreme spirit sword, the Heaven and Earth Profound Origin Sword.]
[The Black Demon Sect True Lord was horrified beyond measure and tried to flee.]
[Unfortunately, the Heaven and Earth Profound Origin Sword transformed into a dazzling sword light, illuminating heaven and earth. The peak True Lord died.]
[At 146 years old, you returned to Tianjian Sect.]
[You applied for an origin spiritual item.]
[You obtained a third-order Origin Pill.]
[You consumed the third-order Origin Pill, and your origin grew stronger.]
[You entered seclusion, preparing to break through to Nascent Soul.]
[This time, you chose to condense a Human Dao Nascent Soul.]
[As your Supreme Golden Core shattered, the breakthrough began.]
Before you continue