A month ago, the frigid northern lake of the Golden Core Avenue suddenly erupted. The resulting surge of power caused the temperature across the entire Golden Core Avenue to drop by over ten degrees.
Such a drastic disturbance naturally drew countless cultivators, flocking in groups. Conventional wisdom held that the greater the commotion, the more valuable the secret realm. If the entire Golden Core Avenue was affected, this had to be something extraordinary. So, without hesitation, swarms of people rushed in, hoping to seize the first opportunity.
And then… tragedy struck.
Many didn't even make it inside the secret realm before they started shivering uncontrollably. One sect, blinded by greed, pushed deeper. Their Holy Son, a prodigy who had survived the Nine-Nine Heavenly Tribulation, was instantly frozen into an ice statue.
In less than a week, the once-bustling region turned into a lifeless wasteland. The place was too quiet, stripped of vitality. Yet now, two figures stood in this desolate expanse.
"It's so cold… There's a strange energy in the air. Taiyin Qi, this place is saturated with it."
Su Min shuddered as her Nanming Lihuo flared instinctively within her. No wonder Xie Yingying hadn't been in a hurry to come, and no wonder she had said that Su Min, with only Nanming Lihuo, wouldn't have been qualified to enter this secret realm.
If one measured the temperature, it might only be a few dozen degrees below zero—nothing Earth's polar regions couldn't match. But what made this place truly lifeless wasn't the cold itself. It was the Taiyin Qi saturating the air, a force so dense it could freeze spiritual energy solid.
Without Nanming Lihuo's protection, Su Min would never have dared to come. Even with the flame alone, she wouldn't have been safe without the Eastern Azure Wood to stabilize it. Xie Yingying hadn't exaggerated.
"Under normal circumstances, no matter how harsh the environment, there's always some form of life. Many rare herbs and ores only grow in the most extreme conditions. What makes this place truly barren is the energy in the air. Otherwise, Golden Core cultivators could easily withstand the temperature alone. But with this annihilating Taiyin Qi, it's a different story."
If it were only cold, Golden Core cultivators could have endured it with their physical strength. But this Taiyin Qi drained spiritual energy rapidly. Once their reserves ran dry, their meridians, blood, heart, and even their Golden Core would freeze solid.
That was why not even cold-resistant heavenly treasures grew here. Only death remained.
"Yet as the saying goes, 'At the depth of misfortune lies fortune.' Just like the eye of a storm, there must be calm within the destruction. For this secret realm to remain stable, it can't be pure Yin. There has to be balance—Lunar Sovereign and Solar Sovereign. So deep inside, there must be a place filled with Taiyang Qi. You may not have the Solar Sovereign Physique, but with Nanming Lihuo and Eastern Azure Wood, this place is perfect for you to cultivate and temper your body."
"Let's go."
Su Min didn't argue. She still remembered the words on her status panel:
[Taiyang Qi: Unawakened]
Her essence blood had acted as a catalyst, triggering an extreme transformation in the little Golden Crow. Otherwise, the bird should have awakened at the Golden Core stage, not jumped straight to the Spirit Transformation realm.
She wasn't delusional. It wasn't that her blood was that potent; she had simply activated the Golden Crow's bloodline and its connection to the Fusang Divine Tree. But even so, that power was terrifying.
Which meant one thing: Her physique wasn't just the Five Elements Holy Body.
That was why she had insisted on coming here, no matter what.
"If you feel like you can't hold on, take the Flame Sun Spirit Pill I asked you to refine earlier. It'll generate a gentle flame inside your body, so even if you drop your spiritual barrier, you'll stay safe for a while. Just manage your energy carefully, and don't hesitate to take the pills when needed."
"I know. Besides, I'm an alchemist. When have I ever hesitated to take pills?"
Su Min waved off the concern. As an alchemist, she never skimped on elixirs when necessary. She had, in theory, infinite wealth at her disposal.
Sure enough, the moment they stepped into the secret realm, Su Min's Nanming Lihuo instinctively surged. With the Eastern Azure Wood supporting it, the flame burned stronger and more efficiently, making the journey manageable.
Xie Yingying's method was even simpler. She coated herself in a thin layer of spiritual energy. The chaotic, impure Taiyin Qi here couldn't be absorbed, but as a Lunar Sovereign Physique wielder, she had strong resistance to it.
Their progress was smooth until they stumbled upon a row of crystalline ice statues. The occupants were long dead.
"This group… they're from the Heavenly Flame Pavilion of the Great Luo Tian. I even refined pills for them once. And now they're all frozen here. Truly, greed swallows the snake whole."
Su Min sighed. The secret realm itself wasn't particularly dangerous—no complex mazes, no distorted spaces, no powerful guardians. If those people had sensed the danger and retreated, they would have lived. But they had pushed forward, drained their spiritual energy, and were frozen mid-step.
"This is the price of forcing your way into a Lunar Sovereign legacy site. What are you doing?"
Xie Yingying watched as Su Min crouched down, fiddling with the corpses.
"We didn't kill them, and they're already dead. Their belongings are fair game."
Su Min casually plucked the spatial rings from their fingers.
"Let's go. It's too cold here. If I take out the herbs now, they'll freeze. I'll check them when we reach the depths."
Xie Yingying shook her head but didn't stop her. Those rings couldn't fully resist the Taiyin Qi, and most of the treasures inside were probably ruined. But if Su Min wanted them, so be it.
"How much longer? Even with the Eastern Azure Wood, the consumption is too high. And there's no way to recover energy here since it's all Taiyin Qi."
"Take a pill. Based on my calculations, reaching the depths will require at least three pills. One for me, two for you. Don't waste energy. As for the way back, don't worry. Once I obtain the legacy, this secret realm will collapse, and the Taiyin Qi will dissipate."
This place existed solely to pass on the Lunar Sovereign legacy, not to kill indiscriminately.
"What a pain. Let's keep moving."
Su Min popped a pill into her mouth. She had come prepared, and if things went wrong, she had an escape plan. After all, she still carried the Alchemy and Artifact Manual, which recorded countless unique artifacts.
Like the one currently resting in her ring:
[Dual-Polarity Triple Shield (Low-tier Mystic Grade)]
Effect: Stand on the shield to teleport between linked shields (once every three days).
Limitations: Cannot pass through spatial barriers. Must remain motionless for one minute during activation.
A rare but niche artifact. In battle, standing still for a minute was suicide, and spatial interference would block it. But here, it was perfect.
If things went wrong, she could flee instantly. As the pill dissolved, warmth flooded her body. Nanming Lihuo dimmed, and her spiritual energy began slowly recovering.
"Terrible environment. Slow recovery. No wonder those people froze to death. No wonder you weren't in a hurry."
"Also, control your heartbeat. Don't rush. Even my consumption is doubled here. We're almost there."
Not long after, even Xie Yingying had to drop her barrier and swallow a Flame Sun Spirit Pill. The path wasn't long, but with slowed recovery and doubled consumption, they had to move at a snail's pace, like two elderly men taking a stroll.
Finally, just as Su Min's second pill was about to wear off, the scenery changed.
The suffocating Taiyin Qi vanished, replaced by vibrant vitality. Spiritual energy surged back, forming two swirling vortexes around them.
Just as Xie Yingying had predicted, within this land of extreme Yin, there was a place of perfect balance—lush and teeming with life.
But then, Xie Yingying's eyes widened in shock.
Because Su Min was devouring the Taiyang Qi like a starving beast.
"How is this possible?!"
Ordinary people balanced Yin and Yang within their bodies. Only those with the Solar Sovereign or Lunar Sovereign Physiques could tip the scales so drastically.
Yet Su Min was female. How could she have the Solar Sovereign Physique?
And if she did, Xie Yingying should have sensed it long ago. The two physiques were natural opposites, drawn together yet repelled.
But before she could think further, the Lunar Sovereign Ancient Emperor's legacy appeared.
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Hehe, you finally notice the 'hint', And aren't you began doting on Su Min???