My Golden Core is a Star, do you call this cultivating?

In his cave dwelling, Qi Yuan turned around, his gaze falling on the porcelain bottle.

[Ascension Blood Insight Pill. Upon consumption, it can temporarily boost insight and enhance bloodline. There are several flaws. Modify them... and the effect could be increased threefold.]

Seeing this information, Qi Yuan lowered his eyes thoughtfully.

"This is good stuff, and it’s just what I need since my brain hasn’t been functioning well lately. I couldn’t even win an argument against Bullhorn Sister."

"When I get to the Supreme Truth Debate Conference, if I take this pill, I’m sure I’ll be much smarter."

Boosting his insight and bloodline to sharpen his mind temporarily—it really was a good thing.

"But... this pill could be optimized further..."

Looking at the pill, Qi Yuan decided to hand it over to one of his Nascent Souls for refining.

His gaze then fell on the Ten Thousand Souls Banner he had picked up from Mo Na.

"This banner is against the natural order, but... the concept is quite ingenious."

Qi Yuan studied the banner and saw much within it.

This soul banner required gathering the souls of living beings to strengthen the banner. Once the banner was waved, it could shake the heavens and earth.

"What if I refine something similar... maybe a Human Emperor Banner?"

Qi Yuan idly pondered.

Lately, he’d been thinking of crafting a creation treasure.

After all, Qi Yuan had been studying creation treasures for some time now.

Creation treasures are divided into many types: utility-type and combat-type.

Things like the Gate of Supreme Truth, the Wall of Supreme Truth, the Demon Well, and the Buddha Kingdom all fall under the utility-type category.

Combat-type creation treasures, however, are far rarer.

Many combat-type creation treasures are artificially modified or refined.

For a Heaven Yang God, having a combat-type creation treasure can greatly boost their combat power.

Of course, Qi Yuan was only thinking aloud.

Modifying or refining a combat-type creation treasure wasn’t a simple matter.

It required a Grand Supreme Truth level expert, immense luck, and countless years of effort to accomplish.

"For now, I should continue practicing the Ancestor Blood Art to enhance my cultivation."

The Supreme Truth Debate Conference was about to start, and Qi Yuan needed to urgently boost his strength.

If he ran into a powerful enemy without the ability to protect himself, he’d be in big trouble.

With this in mind, Qi Yuan waved his hand, summoning the Ancestor Blood Spiritual Water that Purple Fate Xiaolu had collected for him.

It was bright red, like blood, with a faint iron smell.

"Why does it remind me of menstrual blood?"

Qi Yuan didn’t dwell on it, instead focusing on analyzing the data from his micro-scouting bugs to locate more of the Ancestor Blood.

If he followed the standard cultivation path, Qi Yuan estimated it would take a century to reach perfection.

That century was calculated based on the conditions of the Sixth Heaven.

If he were in the Fifth Heaven or a world with a faster flow of time, it would take even longer than a century.

"A hundred years is too long."

Qi Yuan thought to himself.

"I’m still young, after all."

Even though he had spent a considerable amount of time in the game world, in reality, he was only in his early twenties.

"At this level, I’ve barely reached the Supreme Truth stage. I’m still too weak."

"I need to hurry up and increase my defensive abilities."

Qi Yuan sighed quietly.

His gaze fell back on the Ancestor Blood Spiritual Water. The road to mastering the Black Demon Ancestor Blood was long and arduous.

...

Over in Ghost Dominion Heaven.

Dark, eerie, and foreboding.

A Supreme Truth level expert appeared, with three heads: one resembling an old man, one a woman, and one a child.

These three forms were connected to this Supreme Truth expert’s Dao.

The more they slaughtered a particular type of person, the more that head solidified into one of these forms.

"Greetings, Tianzun!"

The Heaven Yang Gods present bowed their heads, their faces showing deep respect.

The Three-Headed Tianzun was wild-eyed and exuded a terrifying aura.

He had once slain a Heaven Yang God and was known for his remarkable battle prowess.

Among the Supreme Truth level experts in Ghost Dominion Heaven, he reigned supreme.

Most of the Heaven Yang Gods present dared not even meet his gaze.

At this moment, their thoughts were conflicted.

After all, just moments ago, the Grand Supreme Truth from Black Abyss had killed one of their own Heaven Yang Gods.

This had left the Heaven Yang Gods present feeling deeply unsettled.

Though they were strong, none could escape a Grand Supreme Truth.

Could this mean that Black Abyss was about to declare war on Ghost Dominion Heaven?

With no Grand Supreme Truth emerging from Ghost Dominion Heaven, the Three-Headed Tianzun was effectively in charge.

They all wanted to know how the Three-Headed Tianzun would respond to this situation.

"The Banner Lord says, after the Supreme Truth Debate Conference, we will wage war against several factions of Black Abyss!"

The Three-Headed Tianzun spoke wildly.

The faces of the Heaven Yang Gods present all twitched with shock.

This news had taken them completely by surprise.

Why had the Banner Lord suddenly become so bold?

Everyone knew that Black Abyss had greater overall strength than Ghost Dominion Heaven.

Declaring war over the death of a single Heaven Yang God seemed far too rash.

Clashes between these great powers happened often, but outright declarations of war were rare.

The Heaven Yang Gods present were no fools. They instantly sensed that something much deeper was at play, something far more complicated.

"As for the reason..." the Three-Headed Tianzun narrowed his eyes. "Once the Supreme Truth Debate Conference is over, you’ll find out."

He looked at the assembled Heaven Yang Gods, his eyes filled with pity and regret.

For those at the Heaven Yang God level, their cultivation granted them eternal life, impervious to the destruction of stars and worlds.

Unless they had powerful enemies or faced a Root Demon Tribulation, they didn’t need to fear death.

Unfortunately... they were now facing Lynia's Transformation.

Hearing the Banner Lord mention Lynia's Transformation, even the Three-Headed Tianzun shuddered.

Who could have imagined that, as powerful as a Heaven Yang God might be—capable of obliterating heavenly paths and devouring worlds—they were, in the end, nothing more than chess pieces?

"What..."

"What’s really going on?"

The Heaven Yang Gods exchanged confused glances.

None of them knew about Lynia's Transformation.

Generally, only Grand Supreme Truth experts or certain unique beings were aware of such things.

"Waging war against Black Abyss might last for thousands, or even tens of thousands of years."

"Recently, Black Abyss has produced some impressive talents, particularly one named Black Sword and another named Blood Robe."

At the mention of Black Sword, even the Three-Headed Tianzun's face grew somber.

Even the Banner Lord had singled him out, declaring that he must be killed.

Black Sword’s talent was second to none, but that alone wasn’t the issue—Sixth Heaven was never short of prodigies.

But… his bloodline was terrifying.

Especially with the top-tier bloodline of Black Abyss combined with monstrous talent—he would become an unstoppable force.

The Banner Lord even predicted that this individual had a chance of becoming a Grand Supreme Truth who mastered the Ultimate Truth.

This only made the Three-Headed Tianzun burn with jealousy.

There were fewer than ten Grand Supreme Truth experts in all of Sixth Heaven who had mastered the Ultimate Truth.

Ghost Dominion Heaven had many Grand Supreme Truth experts, but not one had ever mastered the Ultimate Truth.

"When the Supreme Truth Debate Conference begins, Wu Gong, your task is to kill Black Sword!"

The Three-Headed Tianzun spoke coldly, his eyes filled with killing intent.

The assembled Heaven Yang Gods were startled by this.

After all, Wu Gong Tianzun was a Great Heavenly Position Yang God, just one step away from the Supreme Truth realm.

He was participating in the Supreme Truth Debate Conference with a high probability of breaking through to the Supreme Truth level.

How long had it been since Black Sword entered the Heaven Yang God realm?

Was it even three thousand years?

In the Heaven Yang God realm, that was the equivalent of a rookie, and yet they were sending a Great Heavenly Position Yang God at him—a major show of respect.

"Understood." Wu Gong Tianzun spoke calmly, his face hidden behind a layer of mist, making it impossible to see his expression.

"As for Blood Robe..." the Three-Headed Tianzun glanced around the room, his tone relaxed. "Which of you would like to take this small merit?"

Killing Black Sword would be a great merit for Ghost Dominion Heaven, one even the Banner Lord would reward.

Blood Robe, however, was considered a minor achievement.

Blood Robe might be strong, but to these Heaven Yang Gods, anyone who hadn’t reached the Heaven Yang God level was insignificant.

"Allow this old one to do it." Great Joy Tianzun stepped forward, smiling. "Even the smallest meat is still meat."

"Very well." The Three-Headed Tianzun nodded.

He had originally considered sending a few Mythic realm experts to kill Blood Robe, but that seemed too risky.

"To be safe, I will lend each of you a clone of the Ten Thousand Souls Banner. Use it to pull both of them into the strange realm and kill them there!"

The Three-Headed Tianzun decreed.

With the Heaven Yang Gods making a move, along with a clone of the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, it would be easy to kill the two prodigies in the strange realm.

Black Abyss would never expect Ghost Dominion Heaven to retaliate so quickly, let alone declare war.

...

"Hard, hard, as hard as ascending to the heavens."

Qi Yuan muttered to himself.

Then, he suddenly realized something.

"These old sayings are outdated. It’s probably pretty easy to ascend to the heavens now, right?"

And the saying, “Never seen a pig run, but surely eaten pork,” should be updated to: “Never seen a pig run, but surely eaten pork before.”

"After all my hard work, along with a bit of Black Demon Ancestor Blood, I’ve finally reached the eleventh level of the Ancestor Blood Art."

Over the past period, Qi Yuan had followed Purple Fate Ancestor’s advice and stayed within Black Abyss.

However, with so many Nascent Souls at his disposal...

After gathering information from his micro-scouting bugs about the locations of Black Demon Ancestor Blood, Qi Yuan sent his Nascent Souls out to collect it.

Now that the Black Demon Ancestor Blood had been consumed, Qi Yuan had finally reached the eleventh level of the Ancestor Blood Art.

At the ninth level, his Myriad Dao Martial God strength was already comparable to the Supreme Truth realm.

Now, at the eleventh level, his combat power had risen to terrifying levels.

But Qi Yuan knew he was still far from a Grand Supreme Truth.

"However, if I encounter a Grand Supreme Truth now... I should at least be able to escape, right?"

Qi Yuan mused.

The gap between the Supreme Truth and Grand Supreme Truth was massive.

The higher one climbed, the greater the disparity between minor levels, sometimes even greater than the difference between major realms below.

"I need to grasp an Ultimate Truth. Without it, I won’t feel safe."

Qi Yuan thought to himself.

However, his foundation was still too weak.

After all, he was only at the Purple Palace level.

His current realm wasn’t enough.

Even if he managed to comprehend an Ultimate Truth, he probably still wouldn’t be able to match those veteran Grand Supreme Truth experts from Taihuang Palace.

"If I fought the one from Taihuang Palace, I’d lose, but I could win an argument with Bullhorn Sister."

With that thought, Qi Yuan's mood brightened.

Grasping an Ultimate Truth was still very valuable.

Once his Myriad Dao Martial God strength reached a level comparable to the Grand Supreme Truth realm, combined with his mastery of the Ultimate Truth, he figured he could go toe-to-toe with the Grand Supreme Truth expert from Taihuang Palace.

"I need to ask Purple Fate Ancestor just how powerful a Grand Supreme Truth really is."

Qi Yuan pondered.

At this point, he still didn’t have a clear understanding of the power of a Grand Supreme Truth.

Luckily, Purple Fate Ancestor had mentioned that Qi Yuan could consult him when he reached the ninth level of the Ancestor Blood Art.

"Old Deng, are you there?"

Qi Yuan deactivated all his formations and called out to the air.

Silence. No response.

"Old Deng, I’ve reached the ninth level of the Ancestor Blood Art!"

Still no response.

"Oh, wait, it’s not Old Deng, it’s Purple Fate Ancestor!"

Suddenly, Qi Yuan realized he hadn’t addressed him correctly.

Maybe the guy didn’t hear him.

In an instant, time and space seemed to freeze, and Purple Fate Ancestor’s eerie voice drifted over: "What do you want now?"

"Didn’t you say I could find you once I reached the ninth level? I’m at the ninth level now!"

"Ninth... level?" Purple Fate Ancestor gulped.

Last time... wasn’t he still at the seventh level?

And that was less than a year ago.

Hmm... I guess that’s understandable.

"What do you want?" His heart trembled, but he tried to act nonchalant.

"I want to know... how strong is a Grand Supreme Truth? For example... where do you rank among the Grand Supreme Truth experts?"

Qi Yuan asked seriously, staring at Purple Fate Ancestor.

"Cough, cough, why do you ask that?" Purple Fate Ancestor turned his head. "Among the Grand Supreme Truth experts, I’m ranked in the third tier."

"Top three? Pretty strong. How many tiers are there?"

"...Three tiers."

"Okay, so you’re last. Doesn’t seem too impressive, does it?"

"Hmph, I could crush you easily." Purple Fate Ancestor’s temper was surprisingly good.

Of course, this was only towards Qi Yuan.

Nobody else in Purple Fate Heaven would dare speak to him like this.

"The third tier consists of people like me who have survived three Root Demon Tribulations and possess an auxiliary creation treasure," Purple Fate Ancestor explained.

"Root Demon Tribulation?" Qi Yuan was hearing this term for the first time.

"Any Supreme Truth expert seeking to further their strength must undergo the Root Demon Tribulation."

"It’s a terrifying ordeal—partly related to one’s mental state, but also not entirely. It’s chaotic and without any discernible pattern."

"As for the Root Demon Tribulation, you can think of it like the lightning tribulation or heart demons that cultivators faced in ancient times." When Purple Fate Ancestor mentioned the Root Demon Tribulation, a heavy look appeared in his eyes.

After becoming a Grand Supreme Truth, he had already undergone three Root Demon Tribulations, and he wasn’t confident about surviving the next one.

If he did survive, there was a chance he’d die.

"So, a Grand Supreme Truth is ranked based on how many Root Demon Tribulations they’ve overcome?"

"Yes and no." Purple Fate Ancestor explained, "For example, take Penglai Tianzun, who’s only gone through one Root Demon Tribulation. My cultivation is greater than his, yet when we fight, I can’t even scratch him."

"Overcoming the tribulation increases one’s cultivation, but it’s not the decisive factor."

"The decisive factor is the quality of one’s creation treasure and the grade of their Supreme Truth."

Penglai Tianzun was a newly ascended Grand Supreme Truth from Black Abyss.

Qi Yuan listened attentively. This was important information.

"However, if I were a Grand Supreme Truth with an attack-type creation treasure, I could injure him." Purple Fate Ancestor’s expression turned complicated. "That’s what separates the second-tier Grand Supreme Truth experts—attack-type creation treasures are extremely rare."

Attack-type creation treasures were often refined by Grand Supreme Truth experts who had mastered the Ultimate Truth after countless years of effort, usually with great fortune.

Currently, Black Abyss had only two Grand Supreme Truth experts who possessed attack-type creation treasures.

"The first tier, as you may know, consists of those who have mastered the Ultimate Truth and possess attack-type creation treasures."

"They... can kill Grand Supreme Truth experts!" Purple Fate Ancestor’s tone grew serious.

Qi Yuan fell into deep thought after hearing this: "I have a question."

"Go ahead."

"What if a Grand Supreme Truth who’s mastered the Ultimate Truth doesn’t have an attack-type creation treasure? And what if a Grand Supreme Truth doesn’t have any creation treasure at all?"

"Which tier would they belong to in that case?"

"A Grand Supreme Truth who’s mastered the Ultimate Truth but hasn’t managed to obtain an attack-type creation treasure? They’d have no dignity left, and they’d be better off dead. Such a person doesn’t exist." Purple Fate Ancestor was speechless.

While attack-type creation treasures were rare, Grand Supreme Truth experts who had mastered the Ultimate Truth were typically the ancestors of powerful factions. How could they not get their hands on an attack-type creation treasure?

As for auxiliary creation treasures, even some of the factions in the Fifth Heaven and higher had them. Why would a Grand Supreme Truth have trouble obtaining one?

"So Grand Supreme Truth experts are that fragile?" Qi Yuan’s eyes lit up. "Say I had a Grand Supreme Truth as an enemy. If I organized a daily harassment campaign against him, and mobilized an army of trolls, could I make him die of embarrassment?"

With so many Nascent Souls at his disposal, if he could flame the one from Taihuang Palace to death, it would be quite entertaining.

"Get lost..." Purple Fate Ancestor was thoroughly speechless.

Does this guy even understand what I’m saying?