Chapter 57: Chapter 57: Escape from Death

[In the Alchemy Furnace, surrounded by pitch darkness, you felt the temperature continually rising, making you feel exceptionally hot and uncomfortable.][Outside the Alchemy Furnace, Protector Zong's sinister laughter rang out. He told you that he intended to refine you into a supreme replenishing elixir that had never been seen before, to help him break through to the Return to Void Realm.]

[You remained silent, yet your mind was still racing with plans to escape. At this moment, inside the Alchemy Furnace, as long as you could reach the Spirit Field Blessed Land, you would surely be able to evade the torment of this old dog.]

[Alas, entering the Spirit Field Blessed Land required the stimulation of Spiritual Power, and all of yours was sealed, rendering you completely incapable of entering the Spirit Field Blessed Land.]

[And your storage ring had already been taken away by Protector Zong, leaving you without a single Spirit Stone to gather Spiritual Energy anew.]

[It seemed you had fallen into a desperate situation, only able to wait as time passed, until the day you would be refined into an elixir.]

[You didn't know how much time had passed when you awoke from your stupor, just barely hearing Protector Zong's voice nearby. It seemed he didn't trust you, so he was constantly watching over the Alchemy Furnace, fearful that something unexpected would happen during the process.]

[Days went by, and it appeared that refining you into an elixir would be a lengthy process. Through this time, Protector Zong was somewhat bored and began talking to himself.]

[From his words, you understood that you would be refined for a total of forty-nine days before you would be made into an elixir.]

[You exhaled in relief; this meant you still had a chance to escape.]

[In the following days, you continuously tried to break through to your Dantian, attempting to recondense your Spiritual Power. However, there was not a trace of Spiritual Energy in this world, and you couldn't gather any at all.]

[Several days later, from Protector Zong's monologue, you learned that today marked the seventh day of you being refined into an elixir.]

[At the same time, you came to understand that Protector Zong was from a Cultivation World simulation, a native of that simulated environment, but that world had reached the end of its cultivation era, with no possibility of further cultivation advancement.]

[Protector Zong had once consumed an elixir called the Yellow Springs Pill, which put him into a deep sleep to extend his life span. A hundred years ago, the Descending Sect found him and woke him from his slumber. Desiring immortality, Protector Zong chose to join the Descending Sect.]

[Protector Zong said that his lifespan was ending, and only by refining you into a great replenishing elixir, could he extend his life and find the time to seek a cultivation world.]

Su Xing remained silent for a long time after seeing this. In the latter half of this simulation, despite his tragic experience, he had gained a lot of unprecedented information.

Firstly, the origin of Protector Zong was now clear; he indeed came from a Cultivation World, but one that had reached the end of its era.

Su Xing thought back to the information about the Cultivation World simulation he had obtained from a previous simulation.

"This Protector Zong must be from that simulation coded as the end of the era, practicing the Changchun Technique, and must belong to a sect called the Changchun Sect within the simulation!"

"Except this damned Zong is a Divinity Transformation Realm cultivator, and his lifespan is nearing its end—doesn't that mean he's lived for almost a thousand years?"

A Nascent Soul cultivator has a lifespan of five hundred years, Divinity Transformation a thousand years!

This old dog joined the Descending Sect a hundred years ago; probably, aside from his formidable strength, the mysterious and unpredictable methods of a cultivator were his biggest trumps.

"Indeed, this Protector Zong is not someone to be trifled with. In future simulations, I must never join the zealous faction again," Su Xing muttered while stroking his chin, yet his heart also held some doubts.

In previous simulations, he had encountered Protector Zong. Why didn't Protector Zong imprison and torment him at that time?

After all, Protector Zong also practiced the Changchun Technique and should have seen through Su Xing's cover at first glance.

Su Xing's mind suddenly raced as he thought:

"Perhaps, it was the Shadow Protector who sheltered me? After all, the Shadow Protector's strength is also unfathomable, and she might not even be weaker than Protector Zong..."

"Initially, I joined the Nature Faction, so naturally, the Shadow Protector would protect me... Maybe that damned Zong also negotiated with the Shadow Protector, but in the end, she chose to save me, and Zong, out of fear of the Shadow Protector, did not dare to make a move!"

"That's right, it must be so! As for why the Shadow Protector saved me, maybe it's because she thinks I am younger with more potential, or that I align with her beliefs? So she might favor me..."

Touching his chin, Su Xing obtained too much information from this simulation, which left his thoughts somewhat chaotic.

Su Xing shook his head and continued the simulation.

[On the twenty-first day, your body began to slowly dissolve, showing signs of transforming into an elixir, making you realize that if you don't leave this Alchemy Furnace soon, you might truly be refined into an elixir!]

[But you simply have no power to resist, you can't muster a bit of strength, and there's also a Divinity Transformation Stage old dog watching over you from the outside.]

[Just when you're in despair, Protector Zong opens a small corner of the Alchemy Furnace and drops down a few strands of Spiritual Medicine.]

[You're utterly baffled. As if using people for Alchemy wasn't enough, Protector Zong actually dropped down a few strands of Spiritual Medicine. This guy must have never seen 'Journey to the West'.]

[A few strands of deep green Spiritual Medicine scatter around your body, and although you can hardly move at this point, you struggle desperately toward the Spiritual Medicine.]

[You're only less than a meter away from the Spiritual Medicine, but this meter seems like a chasm. Using your head as support, you exert all your strength and spend more than an hour to desperately move towards the Spiritual Medicine.]

[You seem to smell the enticing scent of the Spiritual Medicine and feel its abundant Spiritual Energy.]

[Without hesitation, you open your mouth wide and swallow a strand of Spiritual Medicine, then you start to frantically circulate your Cultivation Technique, attempting to restore the little bit of Spiritual Energy inside you.]

[You succeed. After several hours of effort, you manage to recover a trace of Spiritual Energy within you.]

[Without hesitation, you activate the Spirit Field Blessed Land, and in an instant, you disappear from the spot.]

[Arriving in the Spirit Field Blessed Land, your nervous heart finally settles down. Even if that damned Zong is strong, he can't possibly cross space to reach this Blessed Land.]

Relieved, Su Xing muttered to himself:

"Damn it, this simulation was way too harsh, wasn't it? I almost got refined into a Human Pill... Indeed, revealing one's strength is dangerous; staying steady is most important!"

With a thought, Su Xing originally believed that having broken through to the ninth level of the Organ Refining Realm, his true combat power could compare to a high-tier professional, and he considered himself a minor powerhouse.

But he never expected the world to be so perilous, and with his strength, he still couldn't ensure his own safety.

"Indeed, the safest place is still the school... before having absolute power, I must not venture out recklessly!"

Su Xing muttered to himself.

Then, he went back to the simulation.

[Although the Sect Elder cannot come in, you can already imagine the scene of Protector Zong raging thunderously after discovering your disappearance. But at the same time, you can't return to the real world...]

[Because you know that as soon as you go back, you will surely be caught by the waiting Protector Zong, and the situation seems to have reached a deadlock.]

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