Swallowed Star World.
Dutuo Star Domain, Richi Star System.
"Where am I?" Wu Yun woke up groggily. He looked around in confusion, only to find dozens of iron bars as thick as bowls surrounding him. He was clearly inside an iron cage.
Nine people were slumped nearby, but they all looked extremely strange. Some even had three arms. They were nothing like the people of Earth.
Occasional sobs came from the surrounding cages.
"Mom..."
"Why did the Blood Demon Trial choose us?"
To Wu Yun's surprise, the strange people weren't speaking any language on Earth, yet he could understand what they were saying.
Looking at the other areas, he saw cages packed tightly together, each holding exactly ten people.
From their occasional conversations, Wu Yun learned that they were being transported to some planet to take part in the Blood Demon Trial. Of the ten billion at Planetary Level, only a hundred would survive.
"This is the Swallowed Star World? Am I in the Primal Universe?" Wu Yun had drunk too much and gone to sleep last night. He never expected to wake up in a place like this.
With his physical abilities, going up against ten billion at Planetary Level meant he'd probably die from a single sweep of someone's Spiritual Force.
"How am I supposed to fight this..." Wu Yun looked at the little boys in the same cage. Their faces looked incredibly young, but every one of them was a powerful fighter at Planetary Level.
On Earth, they'd be strong enough to level a city with ease.
Wu Yun's thoughts raced. All he could do was hope he'd crossed over at the right time, and that Luo Feng would come and save the ten billion Planetary-Level fighters.
"What star system are we in?" Wu Yun asked, naturally speaking in the Universal Language. He had to keep the boys around him calm. Once they landed, even a moment of the impact's aftershock could wipe him out.
But the boys didn't respond. They just huddled in a corner and kept sobbing.
"The Richi Star System." A man with bronze-colored skin answered from inside the cage. "I've been to that trial planet before. We'll land in three hours at most."
Wu Yun's heart sank at those words. He knew the Swallowed Star novel by heart, and he knew which star system Luo Feng had intervened in to stop the Blood Demon Trial.
In other words, there was a good chance Luo Feng didn't exist yet!
"What do I do? What do I do?!" Wu Yun had always been levelheaded, but facing this predicament, he couldn't think of any way out. There were ten billion Planetary-Level fighters.
And the one overseeing the Blood Demon Trial was a World Lord!
Just then, a voice sounded in Wu Yun's mind.
[Heavens Simulation System fully loaded. The host has received one free simulation. Would you like to begin?]
"Begin." Wu Yun quickly familiarized himself with all the system's functions. Once he succeeded in a simulation, he could transfer the simulated cultivation to his real body.
He would also gain a clone in the simulated world.
However, his real body couldn't inherit any further levels that the clone gained through cultivation.
Time in the outside world stopped completely. Wu Yun found himself in a void, with a Simulation Panel floating in front of him.
[Drawing simulated world...]
[Simulated world loaded: Desolate Era.]
[This is a standard simulation. Please choose one random talent.]
Wu Yun couldn't see what the talents were. All he saw were bubbles of different colors, so he could only choose a golden one by instinct.
[Congratulations, host. You drew a random purple talent: Distinguished Background!]
[Please choose an achievement goal.]
[1. Survive the Celestial Immortal Tribulation and become a Heavenly Immortal.]
[2. Survive the Heavenly God Tribulation and become a Heavenly God.]
[3. Successfully merge with the Dao and become an Eternal Emperor Lord.]
After a brief moment of thought, Wu Yun chose the first goal. He had to succeed in the simulation to gain the cultivation, so he could only choose the easiest option.
The Great Xia World produced a Heavenly Immortal once every million years. Heavenly Gods were thousands or tens of thousands of times rarer, and merging with the Dao to become an Eternal Emperor Lord was unimaginably difficult!
[You were born into a cultivation clan called the Wu Shan Clan. It was said that an Ancestor at the Heavenly Immortal level watched over your clan.]
[You carried your memories from before crossing over and were clever. By overhearing conversations now and then, you determined that this was the Desolate Era world.]
[You grew up carefree until the age of four. Though you had never cultivated, your physical abilities already surpassed your past self by far.]
[Your parents prepared to have you begin cultivating. You chose A: refuse, B: accept.]
Wu Yun thought, Why even ask? He chose B.
[Your parents told you that cultivation had two paths: Qi Refining and Body Refining, the latter being extremely difficult. You chose A: Qi Refining, B: Body Refining, C: both.]
"I need to survive the Celestial Immortal Tribulation, not the Heavenly God Tribulation. But cultivating both paths will greatly improve my chances of survival. I'll do both." Wu Yun chose C.
In the Desolate Era world, in a Chaos World that had never produced a Chaos Immortal, the Body Refining path utterly outclassed Qi Refining.
Gods and Demons who cultivated their bodies were also extremely difficult to kill.
[You chose to cultivate both paths. Your parents believed that, as the child of a Primordial Spirit Daoist, you should have good talent, so they first had you try cultivating the Crimson Bright Nine Heavens Map.]
[Your talent was decent, and you successfully began cultivating the Crimson Bright Nine Heavens Map.]
[Impressed by your talent, your parents decided to nurture you properly. They gave you many precious medicines and even a visualization diagram to strengthen your soul. Your father instructed you in various techniques each day, while your mother taught you footwork.]
[You were eight years old. That year, you reached the Unity of Man and Staff realm.]
[Your parents arranged life-or-death fights for you. Every day, you had to battle and kill Houtian demons and Houtian death-row convicts.]
[At ten, your footwork and staff techniques both reached Unity of Heaven and Man.]
[At ten, your God-Demon Body Refining reached the Xiantian Lifeform stage. Your parents were delighted.]
[At thirteen, you happened upon a cave abode. It looked gloomy and was filled with baleful energy. You chose A: enter and explore, B: call your parents over.]
Wu Yun chose B without hesitation. How could a Xiantian Lifeform dare to enter a dungeon on its own? If he ran into some evil cultivator, he'd end up stuffed into a Ten Thousand Soul Banner.
The Desolate Era world wasn't short on cultivators who refined Dharma Treasures with immense sins.
[The Immortal Mansion was extremely dangerous. Your mother took you home, and you knew nothing about what happened afterward.]
[At sixteen, your Qi Refining cultivation broke through to the Purple Mansion stage.]
[At seventeen, you comprehended the True Meaning of the Dao. That same year, your Crimson Bright Nine Heavens Map cultivation broke through to the Purple Mansion stage.]
[At twenty-five, under your father's guidance, you comprehended the Domain Realm of the Dao, astonishing many Primordial Spirit Daoists in the tribe.]
Ji Ning had comprehended the Domain Realm of the Dao at sixteen. Wu Yun managing it at twenty-five was already impressive, considering he had only received guidance from his Primordial Spirit Daoist parents.
[There was no suitable master to teach you in the tribe. You chose A: stay with your parents, B: leave and join another sect.]
Wu Yun thought it over and chose B.
Staying at home might be safer, but surviving the Celestial Immortal Tribulation wouldn't be easy. His so-called Distinguished Background talent had only given him two Primordial Spirit Daoist parents.
Neither of his parents had become an immortal, so staying with them wouldn't help.
[Your father gave you many treasures for self-defense, then personally escorted you to join the Canghai Sect.]
[The Canghai Sect had many secret manuals, as well as many Earth Immortals and Loose Immortals. A Loose Immortal named Venerable Wuchen, who had lived for four hundred thousand years, accepted you as his disciple.]
[You lived quite well in the Canghai Sect, and your cultivation progressed quickly.]
[While chatting, Venerable Wuchen mentioned Immortal Juhua. He sighed that he probably wouldn't live nearly that long, which shocked you. You realized that Ju Hua was still alive, and the era of Ji Ning was still a very long way off.]
[At thirty-one, you became a Wanxiang Adept.]
[You left to gain experience and joined the Yinglong Guard. Though you occasionally encountered life-threatening danger, you survived thanks to the Dao-Protecting Treasures your father had given you.]
[At thirty-five, you heard that an Immortal Fate Assembly was about to be held. But you were still young, so you decided to attend the one three hundred years later.]
[At thirty-seven, you and your junior sister became Dao companions.]
[At fifty-five, during a life-or-death adventure, you happened to acquire an immortal's wealth, including a Primordial Chaos Source Pearl that could be used to cultivate a Second Primordial Spirit.]
[At fifty-nine, you returned to your clan. You rarely went out, quietly cultivating as you waited for the Immortal Fate Assembly three hundred years later.]
[At eighty-six, you made progress in the Dao of the Staff and the Dao of Heaven and Earth.]
[At one hundred and thirty-five, your soul finally met the requirements. You successfully cultivated a Second Primordial Spirit, which quickly broke through to the Primordial Spirit Daoist level.]
[At one hundred and ninety-seven, you finally had a child of your own.]
[At two hundred and six, your father became a Void Return Earth Immortal.]
[At two hundred and seventy-three, your cultivation advanced rapidly, and you comprehended two complete Daos. The clan's Ancestor at the Heavenly Immortal level appeared and bestowed an ancient divine ability upon you, urging you to perform well at the Immortal Fate Assembly.]
[At three hundred and thirty-five, the Immortal Fate Assembly began. After signing up, you swept aside every opponent you faced in the first few rounds and made it into the top one hundred.]
[In your group, you faced a member of the Xia Mang Clan. After defeating him, you advanced to the next round.]
[At that moment, you felt that everything was going your way.]
[You continued to defeat one opponent after another, making it into the top fifty.]
[You faced an unbelievably powerful genius. His true body was only a Wanxiang Adept, but his Second Primordial Spirit had long since become a Void Return Earth Immortal. His strength was unfathomable, and he defeated you.]
[However, thanks to your outstanding performance, three Ancestors at the Heavenly Immortal level still wanted to take you as their disciple: Celestial Kumu of the Shaoyan Clan, the Ancestor of the Dongyan Clan, and Celestial Mobei of the Xia Mang Clan. Please choose.]
The choice was simple. Ancestor Dongyan was a Pure Yang True Immortal.
Even if he wasn't one yet, he would surely become one eventually. As for the Shaoyan Clan, Wu Yun wouldn't consider them at all.
[Ancestor Dongyan accepted you as his personal disciple and bestowed even more precious Qi Refining techniques and many divine abilities upon you. Your clan's Ancestor at the Heavenly Immortal level was very pleased as well.]
[At three hundred and ninety-four, you became a Primordial Spirit Daoist.]
[Ancestor Dongyan had high expectations for you. He wanted you to cultivate both Qi Refining and Body Refining, but your Body Refining cultivation was stuck at the Wanxiang Adept level and refused to advance.]
[Three hundred years later, you broke through to become a Void Return Earth Immortal.]
[You had no confidence in surviving the Celestial Immortal Tribulation, so you chose to keep cultivating in seclusion.]
[Your strength grew increasingly unfathomable, and you traveled to many places throughout the Great Xia World.]
[Five hundred years later, you encountered a Void-Returning God-Demon in the wilderness. Your true body and Second Primordial Spirit joined forces in a fierce battle with it, eventually forcing it to flee.]
Wu Yun couldn't see the precise details of his cultivation progress. He could only judge his level from vague accounts of his battles.
[At this point, you felt that your strength was extraordinary. Did you want to attempt the Celestial Immortal Tribulation?]
Wu Yun considered it briefly, then chose no.
He needed at least a ninety percent chance of success before attempting it. If he failed, the consequences wouldn't be limited to the simulated world.
[Opportunities were hard to come by. Ju Hua was still alive, so there was no way to plot for the Star-Plucking Mansion. You were stuck at a bottleneck and unable to progress. You chose A: leave Great Xia, B: ask your master for help.]
Wu Yun chose to seek help from Ancestor Dongyan. His clan and all his connections were in the Great Xia World, and a Void Return Earth Immortal could easily run into danger outside it.
[Ancestor Dongyan lectured you on the Dao, and you seemed to gain some insight.]
[One hundred years later, you faced the Heavenly Tribulation and Earthly Calamities again, and successfully overcame them.]
[You had comprehended five complete Daos.]
[Three hundred years later, your Dao companion also became a Void Return Earth Immortal.]
[One hundred years later, your cultivation was still stuck at a bottleneck. You chose A: undergo the tribulation, B: keep waiting.]
Wu Yun chose B. As a Void Return Earth Immortal, he could easily handle the Three Calamities and Nine Tribulations he faced in his daily life. He needed to wait until his strength was at least comparable to Immortal Beixing's before attempting the Celestial Immortal Tribulation.
Everything was for the sake of safely becoming a Heavenly Immortal.
[You knew how terrifying the Celestial Immortal Tribulation was, and you had a True Immortal for a master. You decided to Accumulate and Break Through, resolving to attempt the tribulation only once your strength reached the Heavenly Immortal level.]
[With Ancestor Dongyan's guidance, you began studying other Great Daos.]
[At three thousand six hundred years old, you achieved a respectable level in the Dao of the Staff, the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, and the Streamer Great Dao.]
[Your strength grew increasingly unfathomable. You defeated the other Loose Immortals in the tribe whenever you sparred with them, and were recognized as having the strength of a Loose Immortal who had lived for a million years!]
[A Loose Immortal in your tribe invited you on an expedition to the North Nether Sea. You chose A: accept, B: refuse.]
Wu Yun's strength was definitely formidable in the Great Xia World. The Ancestors at the Heavenly Immortal level rarely appeared, even over long stretches of time, so he chose to accept and prepare for an adventure.
[You arrived at the North Nether Sea and followed the legends to an Immortal Mansion, where you unexpectedly acquired an Immortal-Grade Top-Tier Dharma Treasure.]
[Your strength grew increasingly unfathomable, and you began thinking about attempting the Celestial Immortal Tribulation. You chose A: undergo the tribulation, B: keep waiting.]
"I should be ready to undergo the tribulation." Wu Yun assessed the situation. Given his talent and background, and with the Three Realms still at peace, it was unlikely that he'd face a Celestial Immortal Tribulation that was too terrifying.
[You chose to undergo the tribulation, but you were cautious by nature, so you still chose to face it on Ancestor Dongyan's territory.]
[You triggered the Celestial Immortal Tribulation. It was extremely difficult: you faced the Five-Nine Lightning Tribulation.]
[You successfully survived the tribulation and became a Heavenly Immortal!]
[Simulation ended...]
Boom!
The River of Time began flowing again, and Wu Yun returned to the present.
Before you continue