The Great Eye Awakening

"Early-stage Unity, with the Five Elements Holy Body great completion. Especially the Five Elements Holy Body—this is something unheard of for who knows how many years. Ten thousand? A hundred thousand? A million? Or even hundreds of millions? You are only the second person in history to achieve this."

Jiang Xi looked at Su Min, her expression tinged with envy as she sensed the energy radiating from her—energy so potent it revitalized the entire barrier's interior.

This was the Five Elements Holy Body, the most enigmatic of all sacred physiques. Now fully realized, even at just the Unity stage, Su Min could contend with many Mahayana cultivators.

Even in her prime, Jiang Xi had been far from capable of such feats.

Though the Five Elements Holy Body was terrifying, Su Min herself was no less extraordinary. The only question was—just how powerful had the legendary Five Elements Great Emperor been?

"Enough joking. This time, I have something very serious to ask." Su Min's expression turned solemn. "After reaching the Unity stage—especially after fully realizing my Five Elements Holy Body—I began sensing a strange summons."

"Hmm?" Jiang Xi's expression immediately darkened. "Have you decided to go there?"

"Not yet. But I need answers. There are many things in this world I don't know about—like the Ancient Battlefield. I want to learn more. Before, I lacked the strength. Now, it's different."

Su Min spoke calmly. At her current level, few in the entire universe could rival her. Thus, she could finally explore the hidden truths—especially those not revealed in the "game."

After all, the game had only shown the tip of the iceberg. Places like the Ancient Battlefield hadn't even been mentioned. That place was filled with Unity-stage and even Mahayana-stage cultivators. It was no simple matter. Before acting, she needed to extract more information from Jiang Xi.

"Sigh..." Jiang Xi let out a long sigh. "Have you ever heard of Immortals?"

"Fallen Immortals?"

"Exactly. Them."

Jiang Xi looked slightly surprised that Su Min knew.

"Have you heard of the Source of Calamity?"

"No."

"Deep in the universe lies a land of darkness. Every ten thousand years, it births a horde of terrifying dark creatures. It's said they are the descendants or servants of those Fallen Immortals. Each time they emerge, the entire universe drowns in bloodshed."

"How do they compare to the Skeleton Emperor?"

Su Min's expression turned grave. This must have been content from the game's DLC—but that was irrelevant now. She needed to prepare countermeasures.

"The Skeleton Emperor was just one. These things come in hordes. They fear neither life nor death, seeking only to devour and sacrifice all living beings. Their true purpose remains unknown. The only silver lining is that the Heavenly Dao's suppression—the Age of Decay—had stifled their birth. Now that the Heavenly Dao has recovered, they've begun emerging again. That's why those two had no choice but to wage war against the Source of Calamity."

"I see. Are they in danger?"

"For now, it shouldn't be too severe. Both of them once stood at the Great Emperor realm. Unlike that fool Skeleton Emperor, who severed his own foundation, they retained their full strength. Moreover, battling the Source of Calamity yields special crystals. I suspect they've already reached the Mahayana stage. If you wish to go, you can."

"And that summons...?"

"You know Yao Xian'er was the last Great Emperor before the Age of Decay, right?"

"Yes."

"About 300,000 years before our era, a catastrophic Dark Upheaval occurred. Back then, multiple Ascension-stage beings emerged from the Source of Calamity, slaughtering life across the universe until only silence remained. We call that period the Era of Extinction—when the entire cosmos fell into stillness."

Hiss—

Su Min inhaled sharply. Then, curiosity struck her. "What about the Great Emperors?"

"Fell in battle. Facing the siege of multiple Ascension-stage beings, they perished. After that, the world entered a decline—the Age of Decay began then. In the 300,000 years since, Yao Xian'er was the only Great Emperor to emerge."

"Such a history exists?"

"Indeed. That summons you feel was left behind by Yao Xian'er before her reincarnation. When the dark creatures reach a certain threshold, it sends a warning to all high-level cultivators in the universe. The fact that the warning hasn't intensified suggests the situation isn't critical yet. As for the Ancient Battlefield—it's a relic from that Era of Extinction."

"But she hasn't returned in all this time."

"She must be unable to leave. Facing that endless war, even she must devote all her energy to it. Otherwise, that Skeleton Emperor—hmph..."

Jiang Xi's face twisted into a cold smirk. She had long despised those people, but her current cultivation was too weak to intervene.

"I understand. Thank you. By the way, do you need anything now?"

"A Unity Pill. Yao Xian'er once promised you'd refine pills for me. I've prepared the materials—three sets. I only need one pill."

"Done."

Su Min nodded without hesitation, summoning her alchemy cauldron with a wave of her hand.

Meanwhile, at the Immortal Gate Sect...

"So, Master brought you back?"

Lin Yao studied the white-robed girl with curiosity.

"Yes. This humble one is merely Master's—"

"Slave? Nonsense. Master would never see you that way. Before she left, she wrote in her instructions that you are to be her second disciple."

"Ah?"

Yang Meng blinked in surprise. She was well aware of the woman before her—Lin Yao, Su Min's first disciple, an early-stage Dao Comprehension cultivator.

Her strength surpassed even the mightiest "super evolvers" of Yang Meng's home planet. In her star sector, such a being hadn't appeared in tens of thousands of years. If Lin Yao went there, she could subjugate the entire region single-handedly.

Though their civilization had weapons capable of harming cultivators at her level, using them against her would be like trying to shoot a mosquito with a cannon. She might not withstand the hit, but hitting her would be near impossible. A cultivator's perception was so sharp that the moment a weapon locked onto her, she'd sense it.

Thus, Yang Meng finally grasped the true might of this world. Her gaze fell to a terminal device in her hand, a trace of regret flashing in her eyes. The moment she had taken it out, it had burned out. Later, Lin Yao explained—the spiritual energy on Heaven's Continent was too dense. Electronic devices short-circuited almost instantly.

Lin Yao herself had burned through over a dozen "phones" before giving up. In this world, technology simply couldn't thrive—not when cultivators wielded such overwhelming power.

"Regarding your physique, we have methods here to fully awaken it. It seems your star sector's foundation isn't the best either."

Lin Yao sighed sympathetically. Had she not met Su Min, her own innate constitution would have remained buried. Without the right techniques, she might never have even formed a Golden Core.

The gap between Foundation Establishment and Golden Core was vast. Even if she had pieced together a cultivation method through sheer luck, it wouldn't have been enough to survive the Golden Core Heavenly Tribulation—not even the weakest Three-Nine Heavenly Tribulation.

Her fate would have been either death under the lightning or a slow withering over two hundred years.

Having witnessed so much life and death, she couldn't imagine such an end.

"What must I do?"

Yang Meng's voice brimmed with anticipation. She had been blind since birth, never truly seeing the world with her own eyes. Though her spiritual perception allowed her to navigate life normally, it wasn't the same.

She yearned to see.

"This requires a special treasure to activate—and we happen to have one."

With a flick of her wrist, Lin Yao produced an object resembling a pupil.

[Heavenly Eye Pupil (Heavenly Middle-Grade)]

When used by one who comprehends the Laws of cause and effect, it temporarily bestows the Heavenly Eye.

This was something Su Min had looted from Future Maitreya Mountain. Due to its usage conditions—requiring mastery over causality—no other Buddhist sects had wanted it.

After all, the Laws of cause and effect were notoriously fickle. One never knew what they might see—or what price they might pay.

Thus, the treasure had remained unused. Now, it would help awaken Yang Meng's latent Heavenly Eye. As for cultivation techniques, the sect's scripture pavilion held plenty. Not a single disciple had touched those manuals since Su Min annihilated Future Maitreya Mountain.

"This is...?"

The moment Yang Meng saw the pupil, she felt an inexplicable kinship. A strange sensation surged within her—her world had no concept of magical treasures.

"Tsk tsk..."

Lin Yao marveled at her reaction. She already knew Yang Meng's background—a civilization more advanced than her own Earth, yet with a weaker foundation. Thanks to that Mahayana-stage fallen cultivator, her people had been forced to develop cultivation techniques—but they knew nothing of artifacts.

"Sigh... If only I were at the Unity stage. I'd love to visit her star sector. Heh, they must have so many interesting things."

As a modern girl at heart, Lin Yao couldn't help her curiosity. Su Min, on the other hand, wasn't as fixated—mainly because she'd spent decades in this world.

Back on Earth, she'd been a twenty-something programmer fresh out of college. After transmigrating, she'd struggled just to survive. Any lingering Earthly desires had long been suppressed—though not entirely. Now that she'd reached the Unity stage, she found herself reverting to her old self. But with so many responsibilities, she had little time for nostalgia.

Lin Yao was different. She had lived to Divine Transformation before coming here. Many of her habits remained intact.

The only regret? Only Unity-stage cultivators could perform spatial folding. Without it, traversing the cosmos would take decades or even centuries.

As Lin Yao lost herself in thought, the Heavenly Eye Pupil floated up and embedded itself into Yang Meng's forehead.

Sssk—

A line of blood trickled down as a vertical slit slowly formed. Vertical pupils for gods, horizontal for demons.

"It's awakening."

Lin Yao nodded, preparing to leave—only to freeze when she spotted Xie Yingying standing behind her. No wonder she'd felt a chill earlier when she almost called Su Min an "old fossil"!

"W-What are you doing?"

Lin Yao broke into a cold sweat. Xie Yingying was the only person she feared.

Su Min herself didn't mind such jokes—Lin Yao had called her "old fossil" to her face before without repercussions.

But Xie Yingying? Zero tolerance.

Of course, Lin Yao could only grumble inwardly. "Does Master have no dignity as a teacher?!"

As the two waited, time crawled by. Then—

"GREAT EYE—OPEN!!!"

A thunderous voice boomed as Yang Meng's third eye snapped wide, its black pupil gleaming ominously.

Both Lin Yao and Xie Yingying stiffened.

"Does this thing have built-in sound effects?"

Lin Yao expressed her incomprehension about this, but Xie Yingying quickly rubbed her forehead.

"I remember she modifying this treasure before leaving. She must have added some... personal touches."

Xie Yingying thought of something about this. She had been with Su Min for so long. She always had some weird habits that made it hard for her to complain. She could already picture Su Min's smug grin.

The woman had a habit of embedding ridiculous sound effects into artifacts. Like the sect's armor—all of them activated via belts, complete with shame-inducing activation chants.

Some things never changed.