"Whew..."
Looking at the space where the Fallen One had been utterly annihilated, Su Min let out a quiet sigh of relief. At her current strength, dealing with these half-step Dao Comprehension Stage beings was still quite difficult. Of course, "difficult" was a far cry from her pre-Divine Transformation days when her only option had been to run for her life.
"My spiritual energy is nearly depleted," she muttered, assessing her internal state. Even with those potent pills, forcing out an attack powerful enough to burst that creature's limits as an early-stage Divine Transformation cultivator had pushed her to the brink.
Descending unsteadily from the sky, she was not in a hurry to withdraw the Golden Crow Ancient Bell. This was the perfect opportunity to recover. While she appeared uninjured on the outside, the self-detonation-like attack had still taken a heavy internal toll. Fortunately, with her Holy Body now unlocked in three attributes, she could endure the backlash. But "endurable" was relative right now, she felt thoroughly battered.
The Golden Crow Ancient Bell was her best protective barrier, allowing her to recover safely inside. After all, this Fallen One was not the only one of his kind. Getting ambushed in her weakened state would be a disaster.
Three days passed in deep meditation within the bell's secluded space.
"The residual pill effects have completely cleared," she noted, feeling her energy flows stabilize. "At my current strength, taking on half-step Dao Comprehension Fallen Ones is still too much. To kill them, I have to force them into a fight to the death."
This battle had given her a clear measure of the gap. While her combat power was formidable, outright killing them was not easy. This one had simply been too confident in his abilities, letting her exploit a fatal opening. A drawn-out fight would have taken far longer. The lesson was clear: never reveal your trump cards carelessly, or you give your enemy an opening. Just like she had done, blindsiding him with an explosion from within.
It was safe to say this Fallen One had never encountered an early-stage Divine Transformation cultivator like her. Her ability to detonate three Possessions was still unknown even during the Sect Tournament, no one had forced her to use it. He had had no way of anticipating it.
"Might as well stall for a few more days," she decided. "Battles like this can drag on. No need to rush let the world think I am just barely scraping by."
With that thought, she settled back into a meditative pose. But while she remained calm inside her golden sanctuary, the outside world was in an uproar.
The skies above the Southern Borderlands were now crowded with powerhouses. The immortal sects' representatives, Elder Zhu, and the Peacock King two late-stage Divine Transformation experts had gathered. This lineup surpassed what most sects could muster.
"What is Lady Su doing? Why has she not released the barrier yet?" Elder Zhu stared uneasily at the colossal Golden Crow Bell spanning the heavens. This was a former Dao Comprehension Stage expert they were dealing with. Su Min facing him alone seemed unwise.
He had already sent a mental message urging her to release the barrier so they could gang up on the enemy. But she had not responded, leaving him deeply unsettled. As a Divine Transformation expert who had joined the immortal sects under Su Min, his loyalty was tied to her alchemical prowess. If something happened to her, his hopes for a Dao Comprehension Pill would vanish.
"No need to worry," the Peacock King said, her voice utterly calm. "Lady Su's combat power rivals our young mistress's at the same stage. She must be confident in this fight. We are just here as backup." Unlike Elder Zhu, she held Su Min in deep awe.
"Is that so?" Elder Zhu glanced at the stunningly beautiful woman in blue-green robes and sighed, dropping the matter. This was a rare divine beast. Though they shared the same cultivation level, in a real fight, he would be crushed. If she was this confident, he would trust her judgment.
"Have your people evacuate this area temporarily," Elder Zhu said, his tone carrying a hint of command as he addressed the yellow-robed old man beside him. "If Lady Su cannot handle it, even the three of us working together would spell disaster for the locals."
"Rest assured," the old man Cao Yuzhou, an ancestor of the Great Yong imperial family replied with cautious deference. "Senior Bamboo and I have already relocated everyone in the vicinity."
Another elder arrived, bowing respectfully to Elder Zhu. "As per our master's orders, we have cleared the area." This elder was the bamboo spirit, and Elder Zhu acknowledged him with slightly more courtesy. This was essentially Su Min's pet. His foundation had been built using her discarded pill residues, and his entire cultivation path had been arranged by her. As the saying went, "When you hit a dog, you must consider its master."
"If there is still no news in another day, we will forcibly dismantle the Golden Crow Ancient Bell," Elder Zhu declared to the Peacock King, eyeing the magnificent bell.
"Agreed."
DONG!!!
Just as they finalized their plan, a resonant chime echoed across the land. The colossal bell shrank rapidly before vanishing entirely, leaving only a young woman in light blue robes floating calmly in the sky.
"Lady Su, where is the enemy?" Elder Zhu asked urgently.
"Dead," Su Min replied casually. "Utterly annihilated."
Elder Zhu gulped. Against such an opponent, without the Golden Crow Ancient Bell, his only option would have been flight. Yet Su Min had not even relied on external tools to kill him she had merely used the bell as an arena for their duel.
Shaking his head, he let it go. The terror Su Min inspired was well-known.
"This junior, Cao Yuzhou, pays respects to the immortal sects' founder," the yellow-robed elder said, stepping forward and bowing deeply. "My great-grandfather was Cao Yuanmu."
"Oh?" Su Min blinked, then studied the man. His features bore some resemblance to that long-ago figure. Her tone was flat. "I see."
It was neither warm nor cold simply neutral, like mist sliding past stone. The old man's eager smile faltered. After a brief, respectful nod, he withdrew. She did not stop him. There was no warmth to offer. What would be the point? That line of history had long grown faint. No matter how many descendants bowed at her feet, none could turn the past into something living again.
But her gaze softened slightly as it fell upon the other elder, the bamboo spirit.
A bamboo demon. Slender, tall, quiet in aura the kind of being often overlooked. She had nearly missed him entirely. Plant demons were notoriously slow to cultivate, especially bamboo. Centuries ago, she had simply scattered some spiritual seeds in a quiet glade, more out of curiosity than intent. She had expected some might reach Foundation Establishment. Golden Core? Full sentience? That had felt like a fantasy.
"Only you remain?" she asked, her voice quieter than before.
"Yes," the bamboo demon said with a quiet melancholy. "The others perished near Foundation Establishment."
Of course. Bamboo, unlike trees, did not live long even in the mortal world. A century at best. In this realm, that lifespan was stretched but not indefinitely.
Su Min was silent for a moment. She had nearly forgotten them. Just a flicker of effort from her centuries ago and yet this one had survived. Not because of her. Because he had endured.
That realization hit softly, like snow gathering on a windowpane. Quiet. Inevitable.
After a long breath, she said, "Thank you. For watching over this place."
The bamboo demon lowered his head. "It was a quiet duty."
And with that, Su Min prepared to leave. She had recovered her strength, tied up her obligations. There was nothing left for her here.
Besides...
"Lady Su," an attendant said, hurrying forward. "There are reports unusual activity in the Tianhan Snow Plains."
Su Min halted mid-step. Her gaze sharpened immediately.
"The Tianhan Snow Plains?"
Her eyes narrowed. The Tianhan Snow Plains were vast a perpetually frozen land rivaling the combined size of the four continents. Xie Yingying had gone there and had not returned, a fact that had been a constant, low hum of worry in the back of Su Min's mind.
If not for this Fallen One's sudden appearance, she would have headed there long ago. The delay was merely a few months a blink for beings with their longevity, but it had felt longer.
"Something seems to have emerged there," the attendant continued. "Three Fallen Ones are reportedly lying in wait to ambush cultivators heading that way. As for Lady Xie's situation, it is..."
"Understood."
Su Min's gaze turned icy. Without another moment of hesitation, she addressed the two powerhouses beside her. "I will leave this place to you. I am heading to the Tianhan Snow Plains."
After delivering a few brief instructions, she transformed into a streak of light and vanished into the northern sky, leaving behind an envious Elder Zhu. He truly admired Su Min's freedom to come and go as she pleased. But the thought of facing three Fallen Ones sent chills down his spine, his fragile body was not cut out for that.
The Peacock King said nothing. With the little Golden Crow and the Azure Dragon King in seclusion, she had to guard the Eastern Mulberry Continent.
Su Min crossed the entirety of Wei-Wu Continent in under an hour. But the Tianhan Snow Plains were still far away a true forbidden zone, where temperatures never rose far above -40°C. In eras of sparse spiritual energy, few lifeforms could survive there.
But now, things were different. Extreme environments bred unique resources countless materials ideal for ice-attribute cultivation grew there. However, entering required at least Golden Core strength. Beyond the bitter cold, terrifying ice storms more like spiritual disasters than earthly weather could shred the unprepared instantly.
But for Su Min, now at the Divine Transformation stage, this was no issue. Moreover, ice was an extension of water with her constitution, the cold meant nothing to her.
But she knew well it was not the cold she feared.
It was the silence.
Because somewhere in that frozen desolation...
Xie Yingying was waiting.
Or worse she was not.
And for Su Min, who had long sealed her heart to everyone but one
That was the only kind of cold she still feared.