Su Min's final, close-range strike, amplified by the potent pills, would have been difficult for even a peak-condition Liao Meng to withstand, let alone one whose defenses were shattered and body broken. In just the blink of an eye, their seemingly unbalanced battle had been decisively concluded.
Su Min descended from the sky, her legs nearly giving way as she landed unsteadily on the churned, frozen earth.
The effects of her earlier combo—the colossal Wooden Buddha followed by the time-stop assault—had been remarkably effective, but the spiritual cost was equally staggering. Her dantian felt hollow, her spiritual energy nearly depleted, exceeding critical levels. Even with the nearly endless regeneration provided by the Northern Water's Profound Origin, recovery from this level of exhaustion wouldn't be quick or easy.
Yet she knew it wasn't over. The other battlefield still raged. With a flick of her wrist, she popped another pill into her mouth—not a gentle spirit-restoring elixir, but a harsh, combat-grade one that forcibly replenished energy at the cost of straining her meridians and foundation.
Instantly, a violent surge of power refilled her drained reserves, though the painful aftermath would require extended, careful recuperation later.
This massive expenditure was comparable to detonating three of her sacred forms simultaneously, though the raw destructive power had been far less focused. The enemy still clung to a shred of life, but unlike Su Min, he lacked her vast, personal reserves of life-saving medicines.
Seeing no need for final words or conversation, she hefted her heavy greatsword and charged toward his crater. She'd witnessed enough self-righteous moral blackmail from these monks before; Xie Yingying was right: they were nothing but trouble, best eradicated and kept at a permanent distance.
In moments, she was upon the groaning Liao Meng, her blade descending without mercy.
Squelch!
Bright, golden-tinged blood blossomed across the white snow like grim crimson flowers. Before Liao Meng could utter a final curse or plea, Su Min's decisive strike sent his physical body reeling back into the ice. His golden primordial spirit, a miniature version of himself, attempted to flee from the shattered form.
But against Su Min's enhanced spiritual perception, escape was impossible. She snatched the flickering spirit out of the air mid-flight and, without a moment's hesitation, crushed it in her fist. The light vanished with a faint, despairing wail. Thus perished Future Maitreya Mountain's mightiest hidden cultivator, a former Unity-stage expert, brought low by a Divine Transformation junior.
"Phew."
Su Min exhaled a plume of frosty air in relief before turning her attention toward the other battlefield. That clash between two genuine Dao Comprehension experts had shaken the entire frozen tundra, the very air vibrating with their power.
To her enhanced senses, the entire region's innate cold energy was being mobilized, drawn toward Xie Yingying. As a Lunar Sovereign Physique holder, she naturally dominated this frozen domain. The fallen ancient soul had initially held his own only because Xie Yingying was still unfamiliar with the full breadth of her new Dao Comprehension power; now, he was being thoroughly, inexorably suppressed.
Seeing no immediate need to intervene—victory was inevitable given a little more time—Su Min instead positioned herself strategically, using her remaining strength to cut off any potential escape routes the fallen one might attempt.
"That damned, useless bald monk!!!"
The ancient soul's expression darkened with fury and despair. He knew desperate measures were his only hope now. Future Maitreya Mountain specialized in observation; they could theoretically discern most hidden cards, giving them overwhelming advantages in battle... provided they paid a sufficient karmic price.
This time, however, they'd catastrophically miscalculated. A veteran Dao Comprehension expert ambushing a mid-stage Divine Transformation cultivator and losing? It was laughable. But regardless, facing this complete Lunar Sovereign Physique on her home terrain, empowered by the very tomb's legacy, was utterly terrifying.
He could feel death approaching rapidly. With a guttural roar, he unleashed his final, desperate gambit.
"Blood Soul Detonation!!!"
Crimson energy, reeking of decay and spent lives, stained the sky around him as he recklessly charged not toward Xie Yingying, but toward the visibly weakened Su Min. The Lunar Sovereign Physique before him was a genuine, peak-condition Dao Comprehension expert; this drained and injured opponent was his only conceivable escape route.
What a devastating loss! The monk had had no interest in their flesh, but if he could have consumed both, it could have restored him to the Unity stage. None of that mattered now; mere survival was paramount, even if this desperate move burned his foundation and regressed him all the way back to late-stage Divine Transformation.
"Cornered beast making a final lunge?"
Su Min observed the blood-drenched, suicidal charge with cold detachment. She would not meet it directly.
"Black Tortoise Absolute Defense!!!"
No need for direct confrontation. With a sweeping wave of her arm, massive, dark green turtle-shell projections materialized from the swirling snow, forming layered, mountainous defenses around her.
BOOM!!!
The enemy collided with her layered shields. The impact was tremendous, shattering them instantly into motes of green light, but not before his self-destructive momentum was broken. The delay was minuscule, but it was all Xie Yingying needed.
"Lunar Law: Abyssal Frost Spire!!!"
The world within a kilometer radius turned ink-black, as if all light had been sucked away. Then, gigantic, obsidian ice pillars, sharp as spears and cold enough to freeze souls, rained from the sky, impaling the foe from all directions and instantly transforming the flat plains into a jagged, terrifying mountain range of black ice.
Yet this wasn't the end. The black ice imprisoning the ancient soul began glowing with an ominous, silvery light.
"Detonate."
VWOOOM
There was no sound of a conventional explosion, only a peculiar, silent implosion of light and absolute cold that erased the ancient soul's presence completely from existence. Not even spatial traces or residual soul fragments remained. This was a meticulously controlled, localized annihilation that left the surrounding areas completely untouched.
"Is it over?"
Xie Yingying's voice, calm and clear, cut through the dissipating energy smoke as she floated down to approach Su Min, her figure elegantly outlined against the dim lunar glow returning to the sky. Su Min finally allowed her shoulders to slump, the tension draining away. With Liao Meng dead and every escape route sealed, the chaos had truly come to an end.
But victory, especially against such overwhelming odds, always came at a price.
Her body trembled violently as the harsh aftereffects of forcefully drawing on too many potent pills surged through her ravaged meridians. Her knees buckled, the strength finally leaving her legs,
And she didn't hit the ground.
Strong, sure arms caught her mid-fall, lifting her easily into a firm, secure embrace.
"..."
A beat of silence passed between them.
Su Min slowly registered her new position—cradled horizontally against Xie Yingying's chest in a perfect princess carry—and her eyes twitched in a mixture of exhaustion and mild indignation. Her expression stayed perfectly, stoically blank, but a slow, undeniable pink began to creep up her neck and onto her cheeks.
"...Can we not do this? At least change the position? Also, we really should leave this place. It's not secure."
"Oooh~?"
Xie Yingying's eyes gleamed with open mischief and affection, clearly savoring the rare moment of having the upper hand. "Since when does the mighty, unflappable Su Min get embarrassed? Should I call this the hidden treasure of the Lunar Tomb?" she teased, her voice a playful whisper.
She hugged her tighter against her chest, the pure, delighted amusement on her face practically glowing in the twilight.
"Nope~ This is a rare treasure I picked up right here in the tomb. A wounded Su Min, fragile, silent, and unusually obedient. I'm keeping her. Finders keepers."
Su Min gave her a flat, unamused look. It would've been sharper if her face weren't so flushed. Still, knowing she was in no physical shape to argue, and honestly, too bone-tired to care about pride, she sighed in utter resignation. "I'm going to remember this. Vividly."
"Good," Xie Yingying grinned triumphantly, leaping gracefully into the sky with her precious prize in tow. "Make sure you remember exactly who carried you safely across the moonlight when you were at your weakest."
Ice Peak City - Private Spiritual Vein Chamber
"Haah..."
Weeks later, Su Min exhaled deeply within the silence of the energy-rich, secluded cultivation room. The immediate danger was past, but now came the arduous, tedious process of true recovery.
The explosive pills' residual effects still rampaged through her meridians like tiny shards of glass. Worse, those karmic seals Liao Meng had placed proved more stubborn than anticipated; forcibly breaking them in her current weakened state was too risky and could cause permanent damage.
Fortunately, she was a master alchemist. There was always a pill for the problem.
"Seventh-grade Sealbreaker Pill. Capable of nullifying most seals applied by Dao Comprehension-level experts or below."
Studying the jade slip containing the recipe, she pondered her next move. Her newly enhanced soul strength undoubtedly qualified her to attempt seventh-grade alchemy, and this was only a low-tier recipe within that grade.
Liao Meng's seals would be undone, but the deeper physical and spiritual injuries from the battle and the pill backlash required separate, careful attention.
"With the Eastern Mulberry Region stabilized and my sect secure, I can focus entirely on recovery without distraction."
Assessing her internal condition, Su Min knew this would be a lengthy process. Battling Dao Comprehension experts always exacted a heavy toll, but it was a temporary one. With Xie Yingying, now a formidable Dao Comprehension expert in her own right, guarding outside, her safety wasn't a concern.
In this current era, where Ascension-stage experts were legends of the past, only former Mahayana experts like Yao Xian'er could truly threaten them. Against fellow Dao Comprehension cultivators, a complete Lunar Sovereign Physique like Xie Yingying's was virtually invincible, especially in an environment that complemented her power.
"Once I'm fully healed, it's time to settle accounts with Future Maitreya Mountain once and for all. Three major Buddhist sects? The world can manage with two."
Her eyes glinted with cold finality. They'd crossed the line too many times, and it was clear she was their prime target. The other Buddhist sects might protest, but as a potential seventh-grade alchemist—a resource beyond price—she could easily recruit several Dao Comprehension allies with promises of custom-made pills.
Those super-sects, always hungry for advantages, would gladly intervene, especially since she only sought Future Maitreya Mountain's destruction, not its territories or assets. Auctioning their lands and resources to the other Buddhist branches would likely ensure their compliance or even their enthusiastic participation.
Even Great Thunder Temple, with whom she had a decent relationship, wouldn't risk a total, sect-destroying war over Future Maitreya's folly.
"That little monk Kong Hui from Great Thunder likely has significant backing within his sect. But with Yao Xian'er owing me a favor for Jiang Xi, she can easily keep him and his faction occupied and neutralized."
A brief mental calculation formed her strategy. Regardless of Kong Hui's origins or backing, Yao Xian'er's involvement as a peak Mahayana expert would neutralize that variable. As for Great Thunder's other forces—two known Dao Comprehension experts (including Kong Hui's senior brother) and one half-step Dao Comprehension elder—they were formidable but not insurmountable with proper preparation.
"With the Dragon Princess's raw power, the Little Golden Crow's divine flames, Yingying's Lunar Law, and those super-sect reinforcements... Gathering five or six Dao Comprehension level experts should suffice to breach their mountain gate."
Murderous intent flickered in her heart. The ancient Buddhist purge had nearly eradicated them once before; only their unity and the attackers' disinterest in mutual destruction had saved them then.
This time, Future Maitreya Mountain had exhausted their ultimate trump card against her. Without their last Dao Comprehension guardian, Liao Meng, even with their faith-based defensive arrays, they were critically vulnerable. That massive, sect-wide observation ritual he used must have cost them dearly in both resources and karmic fortune as well.
"Recovery first. Everything else follows. This seclusion won't be brief."
Swallowing another mild, long-term restorative pill—one of the countless advantages of being a resource-rich alchemist—she began the slow, meditative process of guiding the healing energies. An ordinary Divine Transformation cultivator would need centuries to heal such foundational wounds; for her, with the right medications and her robust physique, a few decades would suffice.
One Year Later
"Fully recovered. Body and soul are back to peak condition. Now for the seal-breaking pill. Preparing three ingredient sets should provide enough margin for error."
Consulting the vast Medicine King's legacy imprinted in her mind, Su Min cross-referenced the recipe summoned from her alchemy cauldron's dimensional storage. The cauldron was a treasure trove left by that legendary ninth-grade alchemist, containing innumerable formulas from basic to divine.
Rarely did she lack a prescription or method nowadays for any ailment or obstacle.
The ancient Medicine King's Cauldron materialized before her once more, its surface shimmering as it disgorged nearly a thousand rare medicinal ingredients directly into her waiting storage ring.
The gap between refining sixth-grade and seventh-grade pills was astronomical, not just in skill but in resource cost and soul power required. Without that massive soul reinforcement from the malevolent spirit, she'd have needed the comprehensive enhancement of a Dao Comprehension breakthrough to even attempt this.
"One attempt success, please. The cost of failure is too high to bear repeatedly."
A single batch's ingredients already numbered in the thousands of individual components, a quantity and complexity far beyond any contemporary alchemist's capacity to refine or even acquire.
Flames, tinged with five-elemental colors, danced in her palms as she began the arduous process. The cauldron's interior churned with the combusting spiritual energy of the reagents. Even veteran sixth-grade alchemists would prostrate themselves in awe witnessing this, for it was a known truth that just as over ninety percent of Divine Transformation cultivators never reach Dao Comprehension, most sixth-grade alchemists remain stuck there forever, even if they later attain the Unity stage.
Soul advancement grew exponentially harder, and post-sixth-grade alchemy couldn't rely on material spamming for experience. Each high-tier pill demanded astronomical resources; even super-sects couldn't casually provide full sets for practice.
Half Year Later
Su Min's eyes, which had been closed in deep concentration for months, snapped open as a perfectly spherical, jade-green pill, etched with silvery seal-breaking runes, emerged from the cauldron, hovering in a cloud of pristine steam.
[Sealbreaker Pill (7th-grade)]
Dispels most seals applied by Dao Comprehension experts or below.
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Ahhh..
This map really sweet. The Author keep feeding candy nonstop~~~