Su Min could confirm two things about this situation, the facts settling in her mind with cold clarity.
First, while the woman before her wasn't exactly what one would call a good person, the murderous intent she had just displayed towards the evil soul was absolutely real and unfeigned. As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend—there might still be room for negotiation and a temporary alliance of convenience.
Second, and more importantly, the woman before her seemed to harbor a deep, personal grudge against those mysterious, twisted beings from beyond the heavens. That was a sentiment Su Min could potentially align with.
Moreover, she was merely a remnant thought, a fragment of consciousness, not the original, full-powered True Lunar Sovereign Immortal. Yet, she retained a vast and precious amount of memories from that entity. If that was the case, then Su Min might as well test their reactions further. After all, both of these entities were on the verge of dissipating, their power spent, so there was no need to worry overly much about exposing her own secrets.
Truthfully, she wasn't too afraid of exposure anymore—she had already used this unique ability multiple times in her journey, and survival had always trumped secrecy.
"What do you plan to do?" Jiang Xi—the Lunar Sovereign Body cultivator from the same legendary era as Yao Xian'er—regarded Su Min with narrowed eyes, her gaze complex and unreadable. The faint, lingering traces of Lunar Sovereign essence blood within Su Min's body hadn't escaped her sharp perception. She'd sensed it the moment the younger woman had entered the tomb—a sharp, unmistakable signature, no matter how deeply Su Min had tried to suppress it.
But now, standing closer, Jiang Xi could tell—this wasn't essence blood that had been refined for power, nor was it stolen or forcibly absorbed. It was residual. Faint, like a fading perfume, but utterly authentic. A mark left behind through profound resonance, through the most intimate and willing of contact.
If Su Min were a man, she wouldn't have found it strange at all. After all, the first time a Lunar Sovereign Body cultivator engaged in true intimate dual cultivation, a trace of their essence blood would naturally enter their partner's body. But Su Min was clearly, undeniably not a man, which made the phenomenon even more curious and significant.
Normally, even if someone somehow obtained Lunar Sovereign essence blood, they could only refine it for its power—there shouldn't be even a single trace left behind, lingering and unassimilated. And yet… the essence still clung to Su Min's spiritual core, resonating softly. That alone said more than any words ever could.
Since Su Min was asking for it now, Jiang Xi didn't press further with her questions. After her physical death, she had painstakingly extracted all of her lifetime's accumulation of essence blood and, with Yao Xian'er's help, preserved it within this tomb.
The lifetime's worth of essence blood from a peak Mahayana cultivator was an immense, ocean-like quantity. Although Xie Yingying had absorbed and refined a significant portion to fuel her breakthrough, there was still plenty left in reserve. Now that Su Min explicitly needed it, Jiang Xi was intrigued. With a faint gesture, a single, shimmering drop of pure, concentrated essence blood, glowing with a soft silver light, floated from the depths of the chamber to hover before Su Min.
She grabbed it immediately, without a moment's hesitation.
Against an entity without a physical body, special rules and primordial energies were far more effective than brute force—and Su Min, with her unique constitution, fit the bill perfectly.
Almost instantly, as the drop touched her palm and was absorbed, a peculiar, ancient power erupted within her, manifesting visibly in the air around her. Both Jiang Xi and the captive evil soul looked on with astonishment.
"Yin and Yang merging… harmonizing within a single vessel… Are you a Solar Sovereign Body? No, you're not. The energy is different. Then what in heaven's name is this?"
Their shocked exclamations rang out simultaneously, a rare moment of unity between the two opposing souls. Whether it was the evil soul or the benevolent soul, both stared at Su Min with utter disbelief. The chaotic, primordial energy of Yin and Yang merging and co-existing made them feel an almost instinctive, deeply ingrained urge to kneel in worship, a primal recognition of a power that was the source of all things.
Since both were remnant souls without physical bodies to anchor them, no matter how immensely powerful they had been in life, they had little inherent resistance against this nearly law-like, foundational force.
Moreover, Su Min's situation wasn't just unusual—it was something that should only exist in myths and ancient legends, a theoretical possibility long thought erased from reality.
"What a perfect and unique physique… Lunar Sovereign and Solar Sovereign, fused within a single body. True unity. If I could obtain such a perfect vessel—" the evil soul rasped, its voice filled with a terrifying, covetous hunger.
"Hopeless. Your greed has consumed all reason. Just kill it."
Su Min's expression turned cold and decisive. In that instant, she made her final judgment. The creature before her wasn't a soul to be reasoned with anymore—it was pure, distilled malice, stripped of all reason and empathy, driven only by base instinct and an endless hunger. There was nothing left to redeem, no consciousness to appeal to. It was no longer a thinking being, but a festering threat that needed to be excised.
"Now! Do it now!!!"
Jiang Xi roared beside her, her spectral form flaring with power. Though she didn't fully understand how Su Min had achieved this state, this power, which bordered on the fundamental laws of heaven and earth, had an absolute, crushing suppressive effect on spiritual entities like them. There was no better time to strike, no more perfect opportunity.
Su Min didn't hesitate. She had come here for a reason.
Yao Xian'er had likely guessed much of this would happen. Though the jade slip contained a powerful method she had left behind, activating it would have completely annihilated the evil soul, and Jiang Xi along with it. And this monstrosity before them, driven by primal instinct, had just confirmed its nature by wanting to seize Su Min's own body.
"This thing has truly lost its mind. There is no saving it."
But that wasn't the final thought that pushed Su Min over the edge into immediate, lethal action.
No.
The real, chilling fear was Xie Yingying. She was profoundly vulnerable during her Dao Comprehension breakthrough, her spirit wide open. Possession, in such a defenseless state, wasn't just dangerous—it was a waking nightmare.
In that moment, two souls would clash in the deepest, most intimate part of the mind. No external force could safely intervene. It wasn't a simple battle of will—it was a war of raw existence, of agony. They would tear into each other, memory by memory, bite by psychic bite, spirit devouring spirit, until one consciousness vanished completely, erased forever.
Su Min clenched her jaw, her heart tightening into a cold, hard knot at the very thought.
She could endure many things. She had endured countless hardships and horrors.
But the idea of watching Xie Yingying suffer like that—of watching her cry out in silent, internal agony while Su Min stood helplessly outside, unable to reach her—was a possibility she would never, ever accept.
And worse still... if the Evil Soul won, or even if some horrific merge succeeded, what would be left? Would the woman she loved, the one who teased and challenged and cherished her, still be there behind those eyes?
No. Never. She would burn the world first.
Her eyes burned with a quiet, ferocious fury. This thing clearly didn't care about any of that. It was a soul entity with jumbled memories from two sources, operating on a single, base principle: survival at any cost. Otherwise, it would never have dared suggest possessing Su Min, whose own will was like tempered steel. Even a peak Mahayana soul in its prime wouldn't attempt something so recklessly arrogant.
Almost immediately, Su Min raised both hands, her fingers weaving through complex seals as she activated two ancient, powerful scriptures simultaneously.
"Yin-Yang Soul Seizing Technique!!!"
The moment Su Min struck, Jiang Xi's soul also acted in concert. A frigid, soul-freezing flame erupted from her spectral form—Lunar Sovereign Fire.
A ghostly white flame born under the light of the full moon. Though technically a fire, it carried the properties of extreme cold, capable of freezing spiritual energy solid. Similar to Solar Sovereign Fire in its rarity, it wasn't exclusive to Lunar Sovereign Body cultivators, but it was perfectly suited for their innate energies.
The pervasive, icy storm that had automatically activated Su Min's defenses upon entering the tomb had originated from this very power.
As a former peak expert, even now as a fading soul, she still had a few potent means of self-preservation left. Now, with Su Min's sudden, overwhelming outburst of primordial power, she knew she had to pour everything into this moment to eliminate this twisted part of herself once and for all.
Unlike the so-called benevolent soul, this thing wasn't entirely her anymore. It was a fusion of that fallen immortal's remnant thought and her own darkest memories—a being stripped of true emotions, containing only the raw, obsessive instinct to survive and consume.
"You— How can you— AHHH!!!"
Amidst the evil soul's screams of shock and agony, and the combined, focused efforts of the two women, a violent, purifying surge of energy engulfed the seething black gas. Within moments, the piercing screams faded into static as the malevolent darkness rapidly dissipated, unraveling under the opposing forces of primordial unity and absolute cold.
In just a few minutes, the malevolent entity was completely broken down into a formless, pure spiritual energy. Su Min waved her hand, and the shimmering, placid energy was drawn into a special jade ring she carried.
All of its toxic memories and will had been scoured away, leaving behind only pure, potent energy. Even if absorbed, it wouldn't risk contaminating the soul with residual memories or instincts—though fully integrating such a vast amount would still require a long, careful period of secluded cultivation.
But Su Min didn't have that kind of leisurely time right now. She had far more immediate and important matters to attend to.
"The essence blood of a genuine Mahayana cultivator is truly extraordinary—completely incomparable to the droplet Yingying had shared with me back at the Golden Core stage."
Feeling the surging, ocean-like energy now circulating within her meridians, Su Min finally had a moment to pause and observe the intricate changes occurring within her body. Xie Yingying's essence blood had only sustained this enhanced state for a few minutes, but this single drop from Jiang Xi could sustain her for a full hour, at least.
Now, Su Min could finally focus her mind and begin comprehending the subtle, profound changes within her—something of utmost importance to her future path. Seeing Su Min immediately sit cross-legged in meditation, Jiang Xi said nothing, respecting the need for focus. Instead, she beckoned with a faintly glowing hand, and the jade slip Su Min had set aside earlier, the one from Yao Xian'er, flew into her grasp.
Earlier, as a necessary precaution, Su Min had kept the jade slip ready and separate. If anything had gone wrong during the confrontation, she would have activated Yao Xian'er's contingency measure to obliterate the evil soul—though doing so would have cost her that vast amount of pure soul energy she had just captured.
"It seems you survived after all... instead of perishing completely alongside that thing," came a familiar voice, tinged with wry amusement and barely hidden relief. It echoed gently from the jade slip now in Jiang Xi's hand, the tone soft and teasing—yet undeniably intimate.
Jiang Xi let out a low, quiet chuckle. "Of course I did. Did you truly think I'd let that thing have the final word?" and then she added, her gaze drifting to the meditating Su Min. "So you left more than just a fragment of your power in that slip. You were watching."
"You think I wouldn't keep an eye on you, after everything?" Yao Xian'er's voice replied, fond amusement clear in her tone. "And this little girl has her own unique ways. Not just any secrets. Back then, during the Heavenly Dao Ranking, I suffered a major loss at her hands. In the Golden Core Heavenly Rankings, I, with all my experience, only took second place. She took the top."
"What?!"
Jiang Xi was genuinely shocked, her spectral form flickering with surprise. The person she was speaking to was a legendary figure, on par with the most famous emperors and saints, yet she had suffered a crushing, definitive defeat at the hands of the young woman now meditating peacefully before her?
"Just what kind of monster have you sent my way?" she whispered, half to herself.
Then Yao Xian'er's tone shifted—less playful now, more contemplative and serious.
"Jiang Xi, check her body for me. Sense it carefully. If it truly is the Chaos Body… then it changes everything. That kind of physique—those ancient things from beyond the heavens paid an unfathomable price to suppress it, to erase its very concept from reality. If nurtured properly, it might even surpass my two lifetimes of accumulated cultivation and become a true immortal legend, one that could challenge the very order of the cosmos."
"I can't help you with a deeper analysis than what we've already seen. It all depends on her own comprehension and how much she is willing to reveal. If this path is possible, then that ancient battlefield, Fengdu, might be a crucial opportunity for her. Moreover, the White Tiger's complete inheritance is also located there—she will enter it eventually, of that I have no doubt."
Jiang Xi was blunt. She had already made her peace and prepared herself for final dissolution. If not for Su Min's uniquely potent state, destroying that evil thing wouldn't have been so straightforward. She had even been ready to self-destruct her remnant soul to ensure its destruction, but everything had gone far more smoothly than she had dared hope.
"Then… it's settled. Your work there is done."
There was a moment of comfortable silence between them. The cold stillness of the tomb that followed felt both peaceful and heavy—like the first, quiet snowfall over a long-forgotten grave.
"...Come with me," Yao Xian'er said, her voice gentler than Jiang Xi had heard it in centuries. "I've already prepared a new vessel for you. It's not your old Lunar Sovereign Body, of course, and you'll have to start your cultivation again from scratch... but it's still a new beginning. A true second chance."
Jiang Xi closed her eyes, her smile soft and unbearably tired, yet filled with a fragile hope. "Mm."
With that single, acquiescing sound, her remnant soul dissolved into a shower of soft, silver light and vanished into the jade slip. A faint, warm glow pulsed once from the slip, a final farewell… then the jade artifact itself disappeared entirely, drawn away through space by the intricate teleportation formation Yao Xian'er had set within it.
And just like that, the lonely, weary sovereign of the moon, after an eternity of cold solitude, finally found her way home.
Su Min sensed this exchange but didn't interfere. This pocket space, while formidable, was externally rigid but internally flexible—she had already discerned countless ways to leave when the time came. Besides, she still needed to fully comprehend the mysteries of the Mahayana-grade essence blood now circulating within her.
"So that's how it is… My physique is still incomplete. It's a nascent form, not yet fully realized. And it's definitely not just a simple Five Elements Holy Body. I need more connections to Lunar Sovereign Body-related existences, more of its profound energy, to properly nurture and balance the Lunar Sovereign aspect beginning to awaken within me."
Only now, with the vast, unfiltered, and incredibly pure energy from the Lunar Sovereign Blood Essence laid bare within her system, could she finally examine its interaction with her own body with perfect clarity. What had once been mere instinct and intuition during moments of crisis began to resolve into tangible, understandable truths.
Back then, during her intimate dual cultivation with Xie Yingying, Su Min hadn't had the luxury of deep contemplation or analysis.
Her time actively manifesting as a Solar Sovereign Physique wielder was still severely limited—barely three minutes at most before the potent Taiyang qi dispersed and retreated deep into her dantian to recover. Each activation consumed an immense amount of her spiritual energy, and the Taiyang qi itself required a significant cooldown period before it could be safely summoned again.
In those fleeting, precious moments, her entire world had narrowed to the woman in her arms—to Xie Yingying—and nothing else.
Every movement, every touch, was perfectly synchronized, not with technique, but with feeling. She wanted Xie Yingying to feel it all—every pulse of shared pleasure, every synchronized breath, every shudder of release—without hesitation, without interruption. Su Min had attuned herself to her completely, to every tremor, every sigh, every whispered moan that escaped her lips.
Her only thought had been Xie Yingying—keeping her safe, making her feel cherished, drawing out every possible second of warmth and connection they could steal from time's relentless grasp. There was no room for clinical distraction, no mental space to question her own strange bodily transformation or chase any fleeting insight into cultivation theory.
Because that moment hadn't been meant for understanding—it had been meant for her. For them.
And when Xie Yingying had finally arched against her, trembling and crying out in her arms, Su Min's heart had held nothing else in the entire universe.
But now, with clarity and stillness around her, and with a far more potent source of Lunar energy within her, she could finally begin to untangle the complex, beautiful, and terrifying interplay of forces within her.
First, her core physique, the Five Elements Holy Body, wasn't yet complete. It would only reach its own state of perfection upon reaching the Mahayana stage, when the five elements truly cycled without end.
Second, and more crucially, after using this Mahayana essence blood, the Solar Sovereign energy within her had grown significantly stronger, more stable. More importantly, as the essence blood circulated through her meridians, a faint, but distinct, thread of pure Lunar Sovereign energy had emerged from dormancy, coiling alongside the solar power.
It was minuscule—so faint it would be utterly undetectable unless she was in this enhanced state of perception.
And to nurture it further, to help it grow and balance the solar aspect, she needed more profound connections to the Lunar Sovereign Body, more of its fundamental essence.
Jiang Xi, in her final moments, had already given her the answer, confirming the next step: the ancient battlefield, Fengdu Ghost City.
"It seems that after handling the immediate matters here and ensuring Yingying's safety, I'll need to keep moving forward. The path doesn't end here."
Su Min took a deep, internal breath, steadying her resolve. The way ahead was clear, and it was fraught with even greater danger.
Clearly, she still had much, much more to uncover about the true nature of her own body, and the legendary destiny it seemed to be pulling her towards.
===
Okay, let me spill some tea about this chapter!
The original text goes something like this:
[Back then, during her dual cultivation with Xie Yingying, Su Min hadn't had the luxury of deep contemplation. She didn't have much time. Her focus was elsewhere.
But now, with clarity and stillness around her, she could finally begin to untangle the complex interplay of forces within her.]
And my brain immediately went:
"Wait—'didn't have much time'? And 'her focus was elsewhere'? Hmm… 👀"
So I backtracked to "during her dual cultivation" and—oh. Ohhhh. My imagination went full detective mode.
So of course, I had to obsessively dissect this. I mean, why emphasize duration and distraction during dual cultivation?
The answer hit me like a lightning bolt: She only had three minutes. Three. Minutes.
In that tiny window:
—She had to enjoy herself (priorities!),
—While making sure Xie Yingying was also satisfied (double priorities!),
No wonder the poor woman couldn't overthink things—she was on a tight schedule!
And that's how we ended up with the final version. You're welcome.
-
And that's how my brain works with this novel—sniffing out sneaky hints and auto-filling the blanks. It's not just about the ~spicy~ subtext, but also decoding Su Min's, Xie Yingying's, and some other characters' thoughts - her unspoken reactions, and why she does what she does.
Wait, why do I keep saying "her"? Simple: because every character I've deep-dived into so far happens to be a her. Girl squad supremacy! 👯♀️
Now I'm scribbling it all down so you can see what I see! Because this story's layers? Chef's kiss.✨