Chapter 280: Purple Eye Jade Stone, Reincarnation Stone, Mysterious Black Jade

[After chatting with Heavenly Monarch Extreme Sword for a while, you smoothly reached the cave abode on the Fifth Tier Middle Grade spiritual vein deep within Heavenly Sword Peak.]

[Heavenly Monarch Extreme Sword was secretly astonished by your extreme familiarity with Heavenly Sword Peak, but he didn't dwell on it. You were the person appointed by the Sword Lord; no matter how unbelievable something was, he could accept it.]

[Sitting cross-legged inside the cave abode, you felt the rich spiritual energy surrounding you, putting you in a rather good mood.]

[Only by cultivating in an environment with such dense spiritual energy could you feel your cultivation base advancing even slightly.]

['The end of the Deep Sea...']

[You looked toward the Deep Sea, your gaze profound.]

[The Void Whale Master in the Deep Sea had long since defected to the Demon Abyss Realm. Furthermore, a massive spatial rift existed at the end of the Deep Sea.]

[This was all intelligence you had learned in the last simulation.]

[However, you didn't plan to immediately move against that spatial rift or the Void Whale Master in this simulation.]

[Through Soul Searching the Void Whale Master's memories, you knew that the spatial rift had been completely infiltrated over a thousand years ago. The process was irreversible.]

[Even if you struck now, killed the Void Whale Master, and resealed the spatial rift, you wouldn't be able to stop the Demon Abyss Realm's invasion. It would only take them about a thousand years to punch through that rift again.]

[This was also a result verified during the previous simulation.]

[During the sixth simulation, you had discovered the problem in the Deep Sea and immediately joined forces with all the Heavenly Monarchs in the Human Realm to kill the Void Whale Master and seal the spatial rift.]

[Yet a little over a thousand years later, the Human Realm still faced the Demon Abyss Realm's invasion.]

[Your goal wasn't to stop the Demon Abyss Realm's invasion, but to delay it for as long as possible.]

[You wanted to delay it until your lifespan in this simulation ran out, dedicating all the intervening time to cultivation.]

[So now, even though you knew about the problem in the Deep Sea, you intended to hold your ground. As long as the Demon Abyss Realm had no immediate plans to invade, you would maintain the status quo indefinitely.]

['I just don't know if that Purgatory Demon Sovereign from the Demon Abyss Realm will notice my existence after Heavenly Monarch Shuiyue passes away in meditation. After all, the Human Realm shouldn't be able to produce new Heavenly Monarchs, right?']

[You thought to yourself. This was also the only difference from the last simulation.]

[The Purgatory Demon Sovereign planned to occupy the Human Realm at the smallest possible cost. Aside from the Void Whale Master, he was preparing to nurture another Heavenly Monarch for the Demon Abyss Realm's faction.]

[By doing so, the Demon Abyss Realm's faction would gain a Heavenly Monarch while the Human Realm's faction would lose one. With this shift in balance, they would likely only need to deploy some Fifth Tier Early Stage and Mid Stage demon lords to easily conquer the Human Realm.]

[In the fifth year, you were twenty-two years old.]

[You looked at the grotto-heaven fragment in front of you. Thanks to your continuous refinement over the past few years, the fragment had completely stabilized. The fifth-tier spiritual vein inside could now endure long-term instead of only lasting a century.]

[You naturally had to expend a massive amount of resources to achieve this. However, since you were in charge of Heavenly Sword Peak and had the Human Realm's strongest faction at your disposal, you lacked no precious materials.]

['Yan'er...']

[You extended your divine sense into the grotto-heaven fragment, bringing every detail of Li Yan under your observation.]

[Thanks to her "rebirth" experience, Li Yan's cultivation efficiency in this simulation far exceeded the last one. Her musical arts, in particular, had already broken through to Tier 2.]

[Of course, Li Yan didn't believe her musical arts were only at Tier 2. Rather, she felt her cultivation base and realm were limiting the execution of her skills.]

['Not bad.']

[You nodded slightly. If Li Yan could push her musical arts to the fifth tier before attempting the Deity Transformation breakthrough, her chances of surviving the Annihilation Tribulation would increase significantly.]

[Putting away the grotto-heaven fragment, you took out the Zhou Tian Yi Jing rough stone.]

[This rough stone could only be comprehended once. Afterward, the stone would annihilate itself.]

[Therefore, you hadn't rushed to comprehend it over the past few years, choosing instead to wait until you were in peak condition.]

['It's about time.']

[Your expression turned slightly solemn.]

[Currently, your Divination skills were completely stagnant; you couldn't see the path ahead at all.]

[At a time like this, you needed the help of the Zhou Tian Yi Jing rough stone.]

[You closed your eyes, letting your mind settle into its calmest state.]

[Then, you extended your divine sense to comprehend the rough stone.]

[Hum.]

[Your divine sense was instantly elevated to an infinite height.]

[It felt similar to when you consumed the Heavenly Cliff Fruit with a Nascent Soul body before stepping into the Deity Transformation Stage—that level of mental elevation where your mind merged with heaven and earth.]

[Only this time, your elevated divine sense didn't merge with heaven and earth; it arrived outside of them.]

[Outside heaven and earth, endless stars of all sizes stretched across the expanse.]

[Right at that moment, a figure condensed from boundless starlight appeared not far away.]

["What is Divination?" the starlight figure asked slowly.]

[You observed the figure closely, knowing he should be the Fifth Tier High Grade Divination celestial master from the early ancient era who had left behind hundreds of Zhou Tian Yi Jing stones.]

["Heaven and earth are natural. From the world itself down to mayflies and dust, everything has its own fate and destiny. The endless weaving together of these fates and destinies—this is Divination," the starlight figure said in a calm tone.]

[As you listened, you fell deep into thought.]

[While the starlight figure expounded on Divination, the surrounding stars constantly shifted, changing in tandem with his words as a mysterious Dao charm of heavenly secrets permeated the area.]

[It was exactly this Dao charm that gave you a new understanding of heavenly secrets and Divination.]

["Observing heavenly secrets and destinies, I sensed an unprecedented major realm approaching the Human Realm. After a long passage of time, it might intersect with our world. When the two realms make contact, war will be unavoidable." The starlight figure sighed, revealing a shift in emotion for the first time.]

[Hearing this, you immediately realized that the unprecedented major realm the figure mentioned was the Demon Abyss Realm.]

['He predicted the Demon Abyss Realm's invasion as early as the early ancient era?']

[You were deeply moved. What level of Divination skill was required for this? Fifth Tier High Grade? Quasi-Sixth Tier? Or was it simply Sixth Tier Divination arts?]

[Of course, as a fellow diviner, you were well aware that the further into the future one divined, the less accurate the results would be. Even a diviner at the starlight figure's level only had a vague guess regarding the Demon Abyss Realm's invasion; he couldn't confirm it completely.]

[Time slowly passed.]

[In the blink of an eye, several days went by.]

[The Zhou Tian Yi Jing rough stone in front of you slowly crumbled into powder.]

[You opened your eyes, glowing with vitality.]

[Comprehending the Zhou Tian Yi Jing rough stone had helped you tremendously, allowing you to clearly see the path of Divination beyond the Fourth Tier High Grade.]

['The fifth-tier Divination realm...']

[You were thrilled. Through this comprehension, you had faintly grasped the essence of Fifth Tier Divination arts. If not for the fact that you hadn't yet caught the opportunity for a breakthrough, you would have immediately poured your lifespan into your Divination skills to attempt it.]

['Take it slow. There's no rush.']

[You composed yourself, your thoughts quickly calming down.]

[With the path ahead clear, a breakthrough was only a matter of time. You had a feeling that becoming the first Fifth Tier Divination celestial master of the near-ancient era was right before your eyes.]

[In the tenth year, you were twenty-seven years old.]

[Your Second Nascent Soul walked out from your crown, the chubby spiritual body sitting in front of you.]

[You gazed at the Second Nascent Soul. With a thought, the Myriad Tribulations Soul Stone appeared.]

[Upon seeing the Myriad Tribulations Soul Stone, a hint of longing appeared on the Second Nascent Soul's little face. Finally, at your signal, it directly merged into the stone.]

['It has started transforming into the Second Primordial Spirit...' you thought, looking at the Myriad Tribulations Soul Stone.]

[The Second Nascent Soul's transformation into the Second Primordial Spirit would not take up a Heavenly Monarch quota in the Human Realm.]

[The Second Primordial Spirit was essentially you. This was evident from the fact that transforming from a Second Nascent Soul into a Second Primordial Spirit didn't require undergoing the Three Trials of Deity Transformation.]

[If the Human Realm's heaven and earth viewed you and the Second Primordial Spirit as two independent entities, the Second Primordial Spirit would inevitably have to endure the Three Trials of Deity Transformation.]

['It should finish transforming in about a hundred years.']

[You nodded slightly. The Second Nascent Soul merged into the Myriad Tribulations Soul Stone primarily to borrow its power for the transformation.]

[In the twentieth year, you were thirty-seven years old.]

[Inside the cave abode, you opened your eyes. The drop of Blood of the Heavenly Phoenix in your body had been completely refined.]

['Heavenly Phoenix Transformation...']

[A smile appeared on your face as you began to circulate the Heavenly Phoenix Transformation.]

[Whoosh.]

[Your figure vanished, replaced by a Heavenly Phoenix about a hundred zhang long.]

[Your entire body was covered in crimson-gold flight feathers, each one brimming with a glass-like luster.]

[Between the crimson-gold feathers, tiny spatial fissures faintly surged.]

[Wisps of nearly transparent Nirvana Fire slowly burned around you.]

['Is this how the Heavenly Phoenix Transformation feels?']

[You carefully experienced your current state.]

[It was different from the True Dragon Transformation, which granted massive boosts to the physical body, divine soul, and dharma power.]

[In the Heavenly Phoenix Transformation state, you gained a deeper comprehension of space. This comprehension was entirely different from the Void Whale's.]

['In the Heavenly Phoenix Transformation state, my spatial shifting distance is much greater and harder to interrupt...']

[You thought to yourself. In your normal state, crossing the entire Human Realm via spatial shifting would require at least hundreds of continuous, uninterrupted shifts.]

[But in the Heavenly Phoenix Transformation state? It would only take dozens.]

[Furthermore, spatial shifting placed extremely harsh demands on the stability of the surrounding space. When Heavenly Monarchs fought, the resulting spatial tremors made shifting impossible. Yet, in the Heavenly Phoenix Transformation state, it could still be done.]

['There's also... the Nirvana ability I gained... Facing a certain-death strike, I can actively enter a state of Nirvana. Afterward, all my attributes will receive a temporary boost...']

[You thought to yourself, a smile appearing on your face.]

[Although the Heavenly Phoenix Transformation didn't offer much of a boost to your frontal combat power, it was extremely useful in other areas. The Nirvana ability, in particular, could absolutely save your life at a critical moment.]

[Even though the body cultivation divine ability, Rebirth from a Drop of Blood, gave you terrifying recovery powers, one could never have too many life-saving methods.]

[That same year, the Tianzhu Grotto-Heaven opened.]

[You knew that Purple-Eyed True Monarch would appear in the Tianzhu Grotto-Heaven. To ensure the early stages of this simulation mirrored the sixth, you specifically dispatched a puppet to fight for the resources there, forcing Purple-Eyed True Monarch to return empty-handed.]

[In the one hundredth year, you were one hundred and seventeen years old.]

[You looked inward at your dantian. Around your main primordial spirit, one hundred and twenty Dharma Talismans circled.]

[In this simulation, you began nurturing the Dharma Talismans in the very first year, starting from the Fifth Tier Low Grade. You were confident that within a millennium or two, you could nurture their power to the Fifth Tier High Grade. With nearly a thousand years remaining after that, could you take it a step further and push the talismans' grade close to the Sixth Tier?]

[In the sixth simulation, if your Dharma Talismans' power had been just a bit stronger, you would have had the confidence to kill that Fifth Tier Late Stage flesh-ball demon lord.]

[In the one hundred and tenth year, you were one hundred and twenty-seven years old.]

[Your Second Primordial Spirit was successfully nurtured.]

['Second Primordial Spirit!']

[You stared at the Second Primordial Spirit standing alongside your main primordial spirit in your dantian, in a good mood.]

['Unfortunately, I can't nurture a third primordial spirit...']

[You felt a secret sense of regret. This wasn't due to a lack of resources, but rather because your Heavenly Monarch divine soul wasn't strong enough.]

[Whether nurturing a Second Nascent Soul or a Second Primordial Spirit, you needed to split off a portion of your divine soul origin.]

[If too much of your divine soul origin was split away, it would affect your own cultivation and strength as a Heavenly Monarch.]

[In the one hundred and sixteenth year, you were one hundred and thirty-three years old.]

[The Lingxu Blessed Land opened. Just as before, you dispatched a puppet, replicating everything that had happened in the sixth simulation to make Purple-Eyed True Monarch return empty-handed.]

[In the two hundredth year, you were two hundred and seventeen years old.]

[You attempted to craft a Rank 5 puppet, but it ended in failure.]

['The Demon Abyss Realm...']

[You somewhat missed those Rank 5 demon lords from the Demon Abyss Realm. In the sixth simulation, it was precisely by relying on numerous demon lord corpses that your puppet arts had advanced by leaps and bounds, almost touching the Rank 5 threshold.]

[Now that two hundred years had passed, your puppet arts, lacking the support of the demon lord corpses, were advancing slowly.]

[In the two hundred and fiftieth year, you were two hundred and sixty-seven years old.]

[This year, the Xuande Grotto-Heaven opened.]

[You ended your seclusion and walked out of the cave abode.]

['Purple-Eyed True Monarch...']

[You looked toward the Xuande Grotto-Heaven. In the last simulation, it was during this exact time period that you killed Purple-Eyed True Monarch and obtained the Purple Eye Jade Stone.]

[Taking a step forward, you vanished from your spot.]

[To ensure everything was absolutely foolproof, you planned to act personally this time.]

[Outside the Xuande Grotto-Heaven.]

[Purple-Eyed True Monarch was rushing quickly toward the Xuande Grotto-Heaven.]

["The Heavenly Cliff Fruit in the Xuande Grotto-Heaven is of great use to me. I must get it," Purple-Eyed True Monarch said, his gaze cold. His recent failures in the last two grotto-heavens and blessed lands had annoyed him quite a bit, but there was nothing he could do about it.]

['Deity Transformation, as long as I can become a Heavenly Monarch...' Purple-Eyed True Monarch felt a deep yearning. With the Demon Abyss Realm's support, he had some confidence in stepping into the Deity Transformation Stage. And as long as he became a Heavenly Monarch, so what if he completely defected to the Demon Abyss Realm?]

["Hm?"]

[Purple-Eyed True Monarch suddenly froze, looking on in astonishment as ripples appeared in the space ahead. A figure dressed in a cyan robe walked out and looked toward him.]

[Before Purple-Eyed True Monarch could even react,]

[You reached out your right hand and grabbed him.]

["A Deity Transformation Heavenly Monarch..." Purple-Eyed True Monarch was terrified beyond belief, completely powerless to resist. Just as this thought rose in his mind, his consciousness rapidly plunged into endless darkness.]

[Heavenly Sword Peak]

[After easily suppressing Purple-Eyed True Monarch, you returned to the Fifth Tier Middle Grade cave abode once again.]

['The Purple Eye Jade Stone is indeed still here...']

[You fished out the Purple Eye Jade Stone from Purple-Eyed True Monarch's Storage Ring.]

[You carefully observed the Purple Eye Jade Stone for a moment, then took out the Reincarnation Stone and the Mysterious Black Jade.]

[The Purple Eye Jade Stone, Reincarnation Stone, and Mysterious Black Jade floated in front of you. An inexplicable change suddenly occurred as they resonated with each other, their auras intertwining.]

[Boom!]