The Age of Darkness, The Fallen Immortals

"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 who'd cornered its prey.

"You forfeited?" Su Min murmured, her voice rough from disuse.

A slow exhale escaped 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that the Golden Core Heavenly Ranking hadn't dragged her into another match could only mean one thing: Xie Yingying had withdrawn after her own victory.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'd 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 couldn't 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—thanks to the Eastern Azure Wood's enhancement of her physique, which was no joke. But if they were to fight now, Su Min wouldn't be able to rely on those two pills again. The third one was still usable, as its side effects could be ignored.

"I thought you'd 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 wasn't something I could half-ass. That 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 wouldn't have to break herself further?

Well. Some battles weren't worth winning.

Xie Yingying studied Su Min's pensive expression. "So after the Golden Core Avenue concludes, you'll be hunting for more divine artifacts," she deduced. "Awakening your Five Elements Holy Body completely—that's the real goal, isn't it?"

Su Min nodded absently, fingers tracing the edge of her sleeve. "That's 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're barely a footnote. What's a few sealed Nascent Souls and one Soul Transformation elder compared to what's 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 upheaval.

Xie Yingying's brow furrowed. "You call that minor?"

"Have you ever heard of the Fallen Immortals?"

"Hm?"

Xie Yingying's expression darkened. She didn't understand, but the name alone told her it was nothing good.

The Fallen Immortals weren't actual immortals—they were cultivators. 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 wasn't exorbitant, and the differences weren't 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 ancient sects could only afford to seal one or two Soul Transformation experts. Beyond that? Impossible. But Soul Transformation wasn't the peak. Those who surpassed it were simply too powerful—no sealing crystal could contain them. If they wished to survive, they had only one option:

Sever their cultivation. Sever their 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, 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 transformation, they would re-emerge as apex beings. But such a sacrifice came at a price. To recover, they needed to devour all living things.

That would herald the true Age of Darkness. The chaos brought by 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 couldn't compare to consuming a single Golden Core cultivator.

"Tell me," she began quietly, "has your Heavenly Yin Sect ever produced anyone 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, burying themselves in the deepest seals..."

Xie Yingying's breath hitched as understanding dawned.

"...only to emerge when the world's ripe for harvest," Su Min finished, her words dripping like poisoned honey. "Feasting on all life to reclaim what they lost. That's 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 held centuries of grim knowledge. "But we've time yet—a century at least 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, so would she.

However, there was one thing Su Min hadn't mentioned: The Fallen Immortals wouldn't emerge all at once. If a sect had a Divine Transformation protector and inherited treasures, they could remain stable for a considerable time.

The Eastern Mulberry Island had the Little Golden Crow and the entire Golden Crow Clan's legacy, so self-preservation wouldn't be an issue—though expansion would be impossible.

Thus, no matter what, Su Min had to grow stronger. And hunting those fallen cultivators wasn't without benefits—their essence and treasures were invaluable.

So while Su Min was wary, she wasn't 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 wasn't limitless, but it wasn't 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.

"My laws are already perfected. The first-place reward means little to me. I could concede it to her, but..."

Her eyes narrowed.

"True power isn't obtained through charity. If she wants it, she'll 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 in combat. To the watching world, this could only mean one thing—

Su Min still had an unbeatable card.

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'd 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 flawless. Every defense impenetrable. Every opponent left with the same bone-deep realization - they stood no chance from the very beginning. Where Su Min fought through grit and 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 in mere 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'd 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 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 even some found themselves swallowing hard against the sudden dryness in their throats.

"It's starting. Let's see how you handle her."

Tian Hao, still pale from his injuries, clenched his fists. Unlike Su Min, he wasn't an alchemist. His recovery had been slow. But since he'd lost, he wouldn't complain.

Instead, he was curious—

How would Su Min face that monster?