Silence.
It fell like a heavy blanket the moment Su Min stepped into the arena. The chatter and murmurs of the crowd died away, leaving a tense, waiting quiet. Everyone could feel it in the air—an earth-shattering battle was about to begin. The way Su Min carried herself, the absolute certainty in her posture, made it clear she had no doubt about the outcome.
To an outsider, that kind of confidence might seem arrogant. But she was ranked first on the Heavenly Leaderboard. No one was laughing. They were holding their breath.
Most of the people watching had never even qualified for the Golden Core Heavenly Leaderboard. For them, the fighters on it were legends, their power something you only heard about in stories. Now, they were getting to see one of those legends with their own eyes. It was worth the trip just for that.
Inside the arena, Su Min tuned out the crowd. Her focus narrowed to the space around her. With her current abilities, she knew she could escape a fight with a Dao Comprehension-stage expert without a scratch, especially here. Her opponent was strong, but killing her was impossible. She had the Northern Water's Profound Origin flowing through her now, giving her an endless well of endurance.
This fight was the perfect chance to test her new power. Her only regret was that she hadn't obtained the White Tiger's legacy yet. Without it, her Four Symbols Possession was incomplete.
"Then, I ask for your guidance," she said.
Across from her, Han Shuangzi didn't underestimate her just because she was only at the early-stage Divine Transformation realm. He had gotten to his own level through talent and hard work, and he had seen plenty of geniuses rise and fall. For people like Su Min, cultivation level was just a number. It didn't reflect their true combat power. She had defeated Yao Xian'er, after all. Even if he was at the late-stage Divine Transformation realm, he couldn't guarantee a win.
So he didn't hold back. His hands moved in a blur, weaving complex seals. In an instant, a bone-chilling cold filled the space. A thick, frost-laden mist billowed out, and from within it, three terrifying figures emerged.
A sharp hiss of air swept through the audience. Even the half-step Dao Comprehension experts shot to their feet, their faces grim as they stared at the three new arrivals.
"We knew he was hiding his strength, but not like this," someone whispered, their voice tense. "Grandmaster Su might be in real danger. Three Dao Comprehension-stage corpses. They must be predecessors from his sect, the ones who left their remains to him before they died."
"Those corpses might have been at the peak of Dao Comprehension, or even the Integration stage, when they were alive," another murmured in reply. "They are just puppets now, but their physical strength is still at the Dao Comprehension level. Their combat power can rival a half-step Dao Comprehension expert."
The whispers spread. The key to the Dao Comprehension stage was the comprehension of laws, but raw physical strength couldn't be ignored, especially from corpses that had once been so powerful. The only downside was their age; their essence was severely depleted. Otherwise, they would have been even more terrifying.
"Damn, these cultivators are ruthless," Su Min thought to herself as the three ice-encased figures stood before her. She had seen something similar before—the corpse of the Blood Puppet Sect's Integration-stage ancestor. Its combat power was absolutely on par with a half-step Dao Comprehension expert, and that was after centuries of decay.
These three were about the same. They were preserved by divine ice, but their sect's preservation techniques weren't as refined as the Blood Puppet Sect's. In the end, their strength was roughly equal. The real problem was the number. It was clear the Profound Frost Pavilion's heritage ran deep.
Of course, if these were three genuine half-step Dao Comprehension experts, Su Min would have turned and run immediately. But corpses were just corpses. They could hold their own against such experts, but they could never truly win. They lacked too much.
"Mere puppets," Su Min said, her voice cutting through the cold. "Your heavenly treasures are nothing before me. Heaven Scorching Blaze!"
In the next instant, the sky was engulfed in crimson fire. This was her new technique, born from fusing the Five Elements Ancient Scripture with the Nanming Lihuo flame. The blazing inferno tore through Han Shuangzi's frozen realm, shattering it in seconds.
Heavenly treasures had no strict hierarchy, but Su Min's Nanming Lihuo was no ordinary flame. With the dual amplification of Water nourishing Wood and Wood fueling Fire, a single heavenly treasure stood no chance. Especially when ice was inherently weak against fire.
A collective shudder ran through the crowd. They knew that if they were caught in those flames, they would be dead. With that single move, Su Min had proven her strength beyond any doubt. She was absolutely qualified to compete with veteran Divine Transformation experts, even half-step Dao Comprehension powerhouses.
Han Shuangzi's internal turmoil was even greater. Faced with the overwhelming flames, he didn't dare hesitate. These three corpses were his martial uncles; his true strategy wasn't to let them be destroyed. So he and the three corpses moved as one. A hundred-meter-long frost dragon materialized in the sky, its maw wide as it swallowed Su Min's flames whole.
"Frost Sovereign Dragon. Devour the Heavens!"
The colossal ice dragon shot toward Su Min like a streak of light, crossing the ten-thousand-meter distance between them in the blink of an eye. Its massive jaws snapped shut around her.
But before the crowd could gasp, a thunderous boom echoed through the arena. The dragon's head exploded. A massive black figure erupted from within, forcibly shattering the ice.
"That is the Black Tortoise! Wasn't she using the Vermilion Bird's power? That is the Black Tortoise Manifestation! That ice dragon was amplified by three corpses. Its power was extraordinary, and she shattered it just like that?"
People were stunned. Su Min was famously known as the "Crimson Blazing Bird." Her signature was the fiery, explosive Vermilion Bird Possession. Now, she had summoned an entirely new form, the Black Tortoise, and it had just tanked the ice dragon's direct attack. A bite from that dragon would have forced even a newly ascended Dao Comprehension expert to retreat.
The Vermilion Bird Possession was known for its high burst and low defense. There were ways to counter it. But this unyielding Black Tortoise changed everything.
"Look, that armor does not seem to be a treasure," one cultivator said, his eyes sharp.
"You are right. It is not. That must be the Black Tortoise's legacy armor. Of the Four Symbols, it is renowned for its defense."
A hushed awe fell over them as they watched Su Min within the phantom. Gone was the "Crimson Blazing Bird." Now, she was clad from head to toe in sleek, black Xuanwu armor. A sinister mask covered her face, and from its slits, a faint crimson light glowed in her eyes. Her snow-white hair billowed behind her like a banner. She looked like an Asura emerging from hell, radiating an overwhelming, domineering aura.
"Now," she commanded, her voice echoing slightly within the helmet. "Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, appear."
Her Four Symbols Possession was not yet complete. She lacked the White Tiger's killing intent. Otherwise, this form would have resembled a blood-soaked war god. Even so, it was imposing enough.
More importantly, with the Northern Water's Profound Origin inside her, all her energy consumption would recover at an insane rate. Coupled with the Eastern Wood Azure Essence, Su Min did something she would never have dared before reaching the Divine Transformation stage.
Her hands blurred, weaving another set of seals.
In the blink of an eye, two more colossal figures materialized in the sky beside the Black Tortoise. One was a vibrant azure dragon, coiling with power. The other was a familiar crimson vermilion bird, wreathed in flame.
The audience erupted.
"The Azure Dragon and the Vermilion Bird?!"
Everyone was on their feet, staring in disbelief. Three of the Four Symbols now stood together, their massive forms exuding an indescribable pressure. It was like watching ancient mythology come to life.
"A single person controlling so much of the Four Symbols' power," an ancient expert muttered, his voice low with awe. "According to the texts, not even the Five Elements Emperor achieved this. This girl's potential might surpass his."
"Summoning three manifestations at once. Even a Divine Transformation body should not withstand that. She must be leveraging the Eastern Wood Azure Essence. But is she not afraid of exhausting herself?"
Thoughts raced through the minds of the powerful. Many silently vowed that, no matter what, they would not provoke Su Min. In a fair fight, victory was up to skill. But outside of the arena, absolute caution was necessary. The Eastern Sea Immortal Sect was a force to be befriended.
"This… this is a joke, right?!" Han Shuangzi's blood ran cold as he faced the three colossal manifestations. Each one was as massive as the ice dragon he had poured his all into creating. A sense of impending death washed over him.
Everyone knew the Vermilion Bird's traits. But the Azure Dragon and Black Tortoise? No one had seen them before. Su Min had never revealed them until today.
"If that is the case," Han Shuangzi whispered, desperation edging into his voice. "Wailing Souls!"
The tables had turned too fast. He knew his only option was an all-out attack. He and the three corpses simultaneously formed hand seals. A ghastly light flickered around them. Tournament rules forbade Heaven-grade treasures and above; they were too destructive. So, he activated every other treasure he had.
The air filled with the wails of tormented souls. The Profound Nether Ice's defining trait was soul imprisonment. Those who died by it never reincarnated; their souls were trapped in its frozen hell forever. Now, Han Shuangzi's move was simple: he would detonate them all.
He was no saint, but most of his victims had deserved their fate. No one would fault him for this. Even Su Min could feel the overwhelming malice radiating from the gathered souls.
"Interesting," she said, her voice cold and flat behind her mask. "Let me show you the true power of the Five Elements Holy Body."
Her hands moved like lightning. The three manifestations shifted positions, forming a tight triangle in the sky. At the same time, a twisted, screaming ghostly face made of frost and anguish materialized before Han Shuangzi.
He detonated it.
A soul-rending blast of frost and spiritual energy erupted, a storm powerful enough to tear ordinary Divine Transformation cultivators to shreds. This was the nature of combat at their level. It wasn't about drawn-out duels. It was about life and death, decided in seconds. There was no room for holding back.
But Su Min wasn't worried.
Because at that moment, the three manifestations opened their mouths.
Three breaths—one of Water, one of Wood, one of Fire—erupted forth. Under Su Min's perfect control, the opposing energies didn't clash. They merged, swirling together into a single, devastating beam that collided with the exploding ghostly face.
A low, bizarre hum filled the air, a resonance that set teeth on edge.
An energy storm, so terrifying it made the spectators feel death's approach, raged within the arena's protective artifact space. Han Shuangzi had gone all in. Su Min had countered him effortlessly.
Then, a sound reached everyone's ears. It was faint, but unmistakable.
Crack.
It was the sound of something shattering.
People looked around, confused. Then, their expressions twisted into horror as they realized what it was. The artifact's space was breaking. The cataclysmic energy was about to spill out.
Against that force, Nascent Soul experts might survive. But every Golden Core and Foundation Establishment cultivator nearby would be killed or crippled.
"All fellow Daoists," a half-step Dao Comprehension expert roared, "erect a barrier! Redirect the energy skyward!"
He acted first. Then, every other Divine Transformation expert present joined him. A massive, shimmering energy shield enveloped the arena artifact.
The next instant, a cataclysmic storm of power shot upward into the heavens, guided safely away from the ground and the stunned crowd below.
A collective sigh of relief swept through the spectators. Many wiped cold sweat from their brows.
"That was too close," one independent cultivator breathed. "So this is what they mean by 'when immortals fight, mortals suffer.' I would be dead if not for them."
"Obviously. I would not have come if safety was not guaranteed," his companion replied, his voice still shaky. "What is happening inside? Did I see right? She merged all three energies, including Water and Fire. Is she not afraid of blowing herself up?"
"That is her unique constitution. Ordinary people should not try it. But her opponent… he is probably finished. The might of heaven-earth divine objects is no joke."
As the energy dispersed, the scene inside the arena became clear. The three manifestations had vanished. But Su Min, still clad in her black armor, stood completely unharmed. Her aura had not weakened at all. She had tanked the explosion.
Han Shuangzi, on the other hand, was in a miserable state. His Earth-grade high-tier armor was shattered, possibly beyond repair. The three corpses were nowhere to be seen. He himself was gasping for breath, his energy severely depleted.
"I surrender!" he yelled, the words tearing from his throat.
He still had one last-ditch move—detonating the three corpses. But they were his martial uncles. He had once vowed to bury them properly when he reached the Dao Comprehension stage. Using them as bombs against Su Min was unthinkable. Besides, given how her energy levels seemed completely unchanged, he wasn't even sure it would kill her. Staying any longer was suicidal.
He yielded and was teleported out. He was badly injured, but his foundations were intact. With rest, he would recover. There was no need for a death fight.
With Han Shuangzi gone, the winner was clear.
Su Min.
The crowd exchanged glances, the silence now one of stunned realization. An early-stage Divine Transformation cultivator had truly defeated Han Shuangzi. It was unbelievable.
Especially since, as the black armor dissolved into motes of light, Su Min looked as if she had more cards left to play.
===
"Now, she was clad head-to-toe in black Xuanwu armor, a sinister mask covering her face. Through its slits, faint crimson light glowed from her eyes. Her snow-white hair billowed behind her like a banner."
Xuanwu is Black Tortoise. I found it was weird if I use Black Tortoise in that sentence..