Reverend Insanity: The Gacha System

There are four main conditions required to break through from Rank 8 to become a Rank 9 Venerable. The Gu Immortal's aperture core must produce Rank 8 white litchi Immortal Essence. 

The Gu Immortal must possess at least 300,000 dao marks in their main cultivation Path. 

The Gu Immortal must achieve at least supreme grandmaster attainment in their main cultivation Path. 

After fulfilling the above three conditions, the Gu Immortal must break through the blockade of the Dao to transform their aperture core.

The blockade of the Dao comprises three critical challenges: a supreme tribulation, the decline in the production of Lifespan Gu during a Venerable's era, and the dictates of Heaven's Will as enforced by Fate Gu. 

Historically, Venerables have overcome these challenges through extraordinary means—either by sheer luck originating from Human Path, as seen with Red Lotus Demon Venerable, or by gaining the blessing of Heaven's Will, as exemplified by Primordial Origin Immortal Venerable.

For Li Tian, the process is extraordinarily difficult, and that is precisely why he requested the creation of the system by Thieving Heaven Demon Venerable. Using the Rules and Regulations Gu, any Gu could be obtained. After regaining his own memories, Li Tian leveraged all the Rank 9 Immortal Essence left behind by Thieving Heaven Demon Venerable within the system to collect every Lifespan Gu in existence and secure many Immortal Gu.

Because of this preparation, he no longer feared a lack of Lifespan Gu. In truth, Li Tian's lifespan extended to nearly 100,000 years, thanks to the materials and bloodlines he created using Heaven Path resources. However, to achieve true immortality, something extraordinary is required. Even though the Eternal Gu exists, its refinement process remains a mystery, and with Fate Gu still active, achieving it is impossible.

After he took control of the Fetus Gu he is creating, Li Tian's progress would place him at three-fourths of the transformation into an otherworldly demon. The limitation lies in the insufficient number of dao marks available.

Spectral Soul was able to succeed because he controlled the Door of Life and Death, where countless dead souls—and, critically, numerous otherworldly demons—were accessible, allowing him to meet the required threshold. As it stands, Li Tian could only damage half of Fate Gu, which in itself is an astonishing feat.

As for becoming a Venerable himself, Li Tian cannot achieve this immediately. However, his clones present another story. Excelling in multiple paths, he has reached Supreme Grandmaster attainment in three: Reality Path, Creation Path, and Illusion Path.

The apertures were opened, releasing the chaos tribulation into the outside world with the use of the Calamity Pulling Killer Move. This move relied on the Calamity Beckoning Immortal Gu, a Rank 8 Gu worm.

Li Tian had acquired this Gu worm through the collaboration of Lang Ya and Thieving Heaven Demon Venerable, who had refined it together. Later, Li Tian accessed it via his system.

However, the system, which required Immortal Essence instead of points, had become temporarily unusable due to Li Tian exhausting all the Rank 9 Immortal Beads left behind by Thieving Heaven Demon Venerable.

Lan Mu opened his aperture, releasing three Peak Rank 8 Gu Immortals. Each of them bore over 300,000 Dao marks, their strength predominantly stemming from the devouring of other Gu Immortals' blessed lands.

For those outside of Li Tian's clones to obtain Reality and Creation Path Dao marks, the clones had been utilized extensively. These clones established blessed lands, accumulating Dao marks in large quantities.

Once their usefulness peaked, their blessed lands were devoured by other clones, transferring their accumulated power. This cyclical method allowed Li Tian's forces to maximize their potential Dao mark gain, though it also limited the number of Gu Immortals he could maintain at such high ranks.

"Li Tian, why are you ascending your clones to venerable? Are you trying to break the promise?" Zhu Yin, seated beside him, shouted angrily, her eyes blazing with frustration.

"Shh, shut up," Li Tian responded sharply, his tone calm but firm. "I know exactly what I'm doing, and I haven't broken any promises. This is necessary to complete the final stage of refinement. We need Chaos Dao marks, and for that, we require Rank 9 tribulations. The clones won't fully ascend; they'll only be half-stepped into Rank 9," he explained, his gaze steady as he looked at her.

"Hmph," Zhu Yin snorted, crossing her arms in irritation as she turned her attention to the three figures standing at a distance. Each had opened their apertures, from outside one could see the tribulations happening inside the apretures.

From Kang Nun's aperture, who was a Reality Path Gu Immortal, a tribulation of black fire emerged, spreading outward and reducing everything in its vicinity to ashes. Mun Nun, aligned with Creation Path, released black lightning that crackled violently, tearing through the air and ground alike. Finally, Nun Nun, an Illusion Path Gu Immortal, produced a black illusion fog that distorted reality itself, creating an ominous and disorienting atmosphere.

Lu Nan poured 20% of his Immortal Bead storage into activating his killer move, the Calamity Pulling Killer Move. As the move activated, the tribulations within the three apertures began to surge outward. However, the Heavenly Will within the blockade fiercely resisted, attempting to suppress the calamities and prevent their emergence into the outside world. The very air crackled with tension as the power of Heaven sought to counter their efforts.

The strain on Lu Nan was immense. His hands trembled as he maintained the killer move, beads of sweat rolling down his face, his breathing ragged. The overwhelming resistance from Heaven's Will felt like an invisible weight pressing down on his very soul. Just when it seemed the tribulations might collapse back into the apertures, Li Tian's clones which were all over the central continent appeared suddenly and stepped forward.

One by one, the clones positioned themselves behind Lu Nan. Each infused their Immortal Essence into the killer move, their collective will radiating unyielding defiance against Heaven's suppression. The effort was agonizing; their bodies strained under the sheer force of channeling such immense power. Some clones coughed blood, their apertures trembling as the effort to resist Heaven's Will pushed them to their limits.

Lu Nan's vision blurred, his muscles spasming from the exertion, yet he held firm. Slowly but surely, the combined strength of the clones began to overpower the blockade. Inch by inch, the tribulations were dragged out of the apertures, their chaotic energy spilling into the battlefield like an uncontained storm. The black fire, lightning, and illusion fog roared to life, each consuming the surroundings with destructive intent, signaling the success of their desperate gamble.

Soon, after the chaos tribulations came out, the combined power of these tribulations transformed the surroundings into a chaotic, apocalyptic battlefield, the energy emanating from their apertures overwhelming and destructive. Zhu Yin could only watch in silence, her initial anger giving way to unease as she witnessed the devastating forces at play.