A week later, Su Min completed the final pill refinement and arrived at the sect's main reception hall, where five or six Dao Comprehension stage cultivators had already gathered, waiting patiently. Since seventh grade pills were of critical, life altering importance, only fellow Dao Comprehension experts were sent as representatives to ensure both security and respect.
Without any unnecessary pleasantries or small talk, Su Min efficiently distributed the completed pills, allowed each representative a moment to verify their authenticity with their spiritual sense, and then excused herself. Those who could offer sufficient compensation for her services were invariably in desperate, often dire need, so after brief, formal expressions of gratitude, they hurriedly departed to deliver the cures or breakthroughs to their people.
As for the other, lower priority requests, Su Min paid them little mind. She would not squander her time endlessly refining pills for others, after all, her own cultivation took clear precedence, especially now that those terrifying threats were emerging from the shadows.
"Now, preparing for seclusion? These special Spirit Condensation Crystals are quite remarkable. I initially thought it would take me centuries to even attempt a breakthrough to the mid stage of Dao Comprehension, but these have accelerated my progress significantly." Examining the handful of shimmering, multi hued mutated crystals in her hand, Su Min mused silently. Every single step within the Dao Comprehension stage was arduous, a test of will, resources, and comprehension. And advancing further to the legendary Unity stage would be exponentially more difficult.
Even for supreme divine beasts like the Three Clan Golden Crows or the Golden Five Clawed Dragons, the challenges at that stage were immense, though that was not Su Min's immediate concern.
With a casual wave of her hand, the crystals floated into the air around her, orbiting her like tiny, obedient moons. Closing her eyes, Su Min began circulating her profound cultivation technique.
In an instant, a radiant, multi colored light erupted in the secluded chamber as the crystals shattered simultaneously, transforming into pure, vibrant streams of elemental energy that surged into her body. Her long stagnant aura began fluctuating wildly, growing increasingly ethereal and profound. The metaphysical gateway to the mid stage of Dao Comprehension slowly, surely, began to open before her.
-
Meanwhile, outside her secluded chamber, the emergence of the Black Seal had plunged the entire continent into turmoil and fear.
Yao Clan Territory
"Should we convene an emergency assembly of all major sects? Previous inter sect agreements were too lax, everyone only minded their own affairs. But now, several established sects without Dao Comprehension guardians have been completely annihilated. The strength those Fallen Ones regain from such feasts will be terrifying." An elder's voice was heavy with dread.
Once thriving spiritual mountain ranges now lay in ruins, their populations decimated, the very earth stained with blood and corrupted energy. The only small solace for the Yao Clan was that their three core Dao Comprehension experts remained intact. Though the clan was severely weakened, they were not on the verge of total collapse. Their previous territorial demands toward the Immortal Sect had to be abandoned entirely; survival was the only priority now.
In the end, raw strength dictated everything. Now, their clan faced a potential talent drought for generations. For ancient clans like theirs, true, lasting value lay not in one or two geniuses, but in a steady, reliable stream of new powerhouses maintaining their supremacy over the millennia.
In this regard, the Immortal Sect was still slightly inferior in depth, but the gap was not insurmountable, especially with Su Min at the helm. She had already brought back vast quantities of these miraculous crystals, and her own lifespan was truly limitless, giving her a perspective no one else could match.
The Yao Clan had survived, albeit battered and humbled. Others were not so fortunate. In the centuries after the world's spiritual restoration, many experts had finally reached the Dao Comprehension stage. In the recent past, even a single Divine Transformation expert, backed by their sect's heritage and powerful protective formations, could deter most Fallen Ones.
With the return of the super clans and sects from beyond the stars, the Fallen Ones' situation had initially worsened. These powers occupied entire minor realms and pocket dimensions, safeguarded by dormant Emperor's Artifacts, making them nearly invincible fortresses. The Fallen Ones were hunted relentlessly, to the point where many in the cultivation world believed their era had truly ended.
Yet, in just a few short months, multiple ancient sects had been wiped off the map. Even super sects were not immune; any vulnerability, any moment of lowered guard, would be exploited mercilessly. The Yao Clan had suffered the most among the major powers, having been forced to deploy all three of their Dao Comprehension experts along with their Emperor's Artifact to defend their holdings.
After all, Su Min could freely mobilize the Golden Crows' power. Without their own Emperor's Artifact to counter that threat, they had felt profoundly insecure. But the outcome of that decision? A devastating, unexpected blow to their clan's core strength while their leaders were distracted.
As for true mid tier sects like the former Blood Puppet Sect, they were truly doomed. Lacking any Dao Comprehension experts, they vanished overnight, their names erased from history. The number of Divine Transformation and Nascent Soul cultivators consumed in these attacks was staggering, enough spiritual energy to restore multiple ancient Fallen Ones to the Dao Comprehension stage, possibly even pushing them to the mid or late stage.
Countless terrifying powerhouses now lurked in the shadows, their presence casting a deep pall of fear across the continent. Even Su Min refrained from disclosing the full, horrifying truth, because she knew their leader's strength might very well rival Yao Xian'er's at her peak.
No supreme physique, save for the legendary, mythical Chaos Body, could guarantee a smooth ascension to the Ascension stage. By that ultimate realm, one's innate constitution became almost secondary to one comprehension of the Dao and accumulation of power.
Revealing this bleak reality would only spread panic without offering any real solutions. It might even drive some desperate cultivators to join the Fallen Ones, seeing it as their only path to survival and power. Moreover, that ultimate entity would not emerge immediately; there was no need to incite widespread terror prematurely.
While Su Min remained silent in her seclusion, the continent mobilized out of sheer necessity.
The affected but surviving clans and sects took the lead, establishing emergency spatial communication links and mutual defense pacts. When the formal invitation reached the Immortal Sect, Xie Yingying, who was managing affairs, narrowed her eyes as she read it. With Su Min in deep seclusion, she had naturally resumed full leadership duties.
The Fallen Ones had so far conspicuously avoided the Immortal Sect's territories, unwilling to provoke the combined wrath of two supreme divine beasts and two readily available Emperor's Artifacts. The Dragon Clan enjoyed similar immunity; their ancestral lands, buried in the abyssal ocean depths with their unique, treacherous terrain, were simply too troublesome and costly to assault.
Immortal Sect, Main Hall
"They have come again, Elder Zhu." A disciple reported.
As the earliest Divine Transformation expert to pledge loyalty to Su Min, Zhu now held the sect's third highest position, respected by all. His cultivation had improved significantly over the years, recently reaching the coveted half step Dao Comprehension stage.
Using his massive accumulated sect contribution points, he had obtained a precious Dao Comprehension Pill from Su Min's personal stock. However, his foundation still needed further refinement and solidification before he could safely attempt the final breakthrough.
His most cherished disciple, nurtured entirely with the sect's resources, had also reached the Divine Transformation stage. The sect now boasted seven or eight homegrown Divine Transformation experts, and over twenty if one included the powerful spirit beasts that had sworn allegiance.
"We should investigate these attacks thoroughly. As Lady Su mentioned, actively hindering their consumption of living beings is the most effective way to limit their recovery. And, " Zhu shuddered, unable to finish the thought. The Fallen Ones' appetites were monstrous. The list of vanished sects included old acquaintances and peers of his, making his decision all those years ago to follow Su Min feel like a divine blessing in hindsight.
"You are on the cusp of Dao Comprehension. Should you not be entering seclusion yourself?" Xie Yingying asked, her tone practical.
"Lady Xie, you will need to attend the grand sect assembly. If I am in seclusion, who will guard the sect and manage daily operations in your absence?" Elder Zhu replied respectfully.
"I will formally request the Azure Dragon King's assistance. With his early stage Dao Comprehension strength and the defensive power of the Azure Dragon Pearl, our core defenses will hold. Add the Golden Crow's constant vigilance with her Emperor's Artifact, and the sect's safety is assured." Xie Yingying had already considered the logistics.
"Very well. In that case, I will prepare for secluded cultivation immediately." Elder Zhu acquiesced. He had prepared for this moment for decades, and with the perfect grade Dao Comprehension Pill, further hesitation was unwarranted. Reaching Dao Comprehension had been his lifelong aspiration, a dream he once thought impossible, something he hoped would be fulfilled by his descendants. But under Su Min's reign, new, impossible opportunities had arisen.
"Since Su Min is secluded for her critical mid stage Dao Comprehension breakthrough, I will represent us at the assembly. Given the Yao Clan's precedent, there is no need for a grand entourage or additional escorts. Speed and discretion are more important." Xie Yingying's authority in these matters was undisputed. Beyond her formidable personal strength, she handled diplomatic and administrative affairs with a natural finesse, often proving more adept than Su Min in certain aspects. Not that Su Min was incompetent, far from it, but their personalities and approaches were simply different.
Su Min acted with decisive, overwhelming force, favoring straightforward, domineering solutions, especially when she possessed irrefutable evidence or moral high ground. Only rarely, when the situation was exceptionally complex, would she exercise strategic restraint.
In contrast, Xie Yingying excelled at navigating political complexities and subtle intrigues with sharp diplomacy and calculated patience, earning her high regard and trust within the sect's administration.
"Understood. This one will make the preparations for your departure." Thus, Tian Yinzi, who was also present, voiced no objections. At the late stage of Nascent Soul, he too needed extended seclusion soon, though he was not yet ready to attempt the Divine Transformation tribulation.
"Has the ancient battlefield's corruption stopped spreading?" Xie Yingying frowned, bringing up another long term concern. Their location's relative safety stemmed from two main factors: the world's sheer vastness exceeding the corruption's current reach, and the Dragon Clan's ceaseless, dedicated cleansing of mutated beasts along the coastal regions.
"No, it continues to slowly expand, but at a manageable rate. The ancient battlefield's long term future, however, remains uncertain." That accursed place could not remain stable indefinitely. The ancient battlefield was essentially a unstable convergence point of countless fractured dimensions, some of them deeply malevolent, which was why so many fallen super experts were drawn to it.
Traditionally, the Dragon Clan had managed such extra planar threats, a duty that kept them largely uninvolved in terrestrial political conflicts.
"So many troubles converging at once. If that place destabilizes further, we will bear the brunt of it, being one of the closest major powers." Massaging her temples, Xie Yingying lamented the world's fractured and leaderless state, with no supreme authority to mend it or coordinate a unified response.
"I will depart now, and I am taking the Xuantian Mansion with me. With it, even a Unity stage attacker could not stop me from escaping." Dismissing her worries for now, Xie Yingying summoned the colossal, palace like Xuantian Mansion from its pocket dimension. Its current occupants were gently ejected before the entire structure shrank down into a miniature replica that settled in her palm.
With this Heaven tier high grade artifact, one of the finest of its kind, few beings in the world could truly threaten her life. Traveling alone or not, she was secure in her ability to withdraw from any danger.
Her figure vanished in a ripple of spatial distortion, followed shortly by Elder Zhu's departure to his own secluded cultivation site. Only Tian Yinzi remained in the suddenly quiet hall, knowing that forcing a breakthrough now without proper preparation would be suicidal.
-
Meanwhile, in Seclusion
Amidst the external chaos, Su Min cultivated in perfect, undisturbed focus. The pile of special crystals rapidly depleted, their vibrant energy absorbed until only inert, grey powder remained.
Her aura fluctuated violently as her comprehension of time laws surged within her, reaching a new peak. The surrounding space warped unpredictably, and time itself flowed in irregular, visible ripples around her.
Cultivators assigned to guard the vicinity kept a safe, respectful distance. Entanglement in such intense temporal distortions risked instant, irreversible lifespan reduction or rapid aging.
"Breakthrough is near." Su Min's spiritual power erupted in a final, violent wave. In a brilliant flash of light that filled the chamber, the last barrier shattered, and her cultivation base settled firmly into the mid stage of Dao Comprehension, her aura stabilizing with a profound, deep calm.
"Mid stage Dao Comprehension." Surveying the room now covered in fine crystal dust, she exhaled a long breath of relief. Then, noting the truly staggering resource consumption just for this one step, she understood with crystal clarity why so many ancient experts chose to become Fallen Ones rather than follow the arduous, righteous path or Yao Xian'er's incredibly risky method of reincarnation.
The costs of orthodox advancement were simply prohibitive for most. Not everyone could amass sufficient resources through luck or legitimate means. When orthodox methods failed or seemed too slow, devouring the life force and cultivation of other living beings became the most brutally efficient alternative.
"This seclusion was relatively brief, only ten years. Though I was severely injured in that battle with the Bloodfiend Patriarch, misfortune often breeds fortune. It ultimately solidified my foundation to an unprecedented degree. Combatting a former Mahayana expert, even a weakened one, yielded immense gains in practical experience." Pleased with her progress, she contemplated her next logical step, attempting the fabled eighth grade alchemy. It would be grueling, tedious, and require immense concentration, but it was necessary, especially for concocting the elusive Unity Pill, which she would need for herself and her closest allies.
"It might take me centuries of dedicated practice, possibly even requiring my own advancement to the late stage of Dao Comprehension to succeed consistently." Though mentally prepared for the long haul, Su Min acknowledged the urgency pressed upon them by external threats, yet she knew haste was futile here; alchemy, especially at this level, demanded perfection.
"First, I should check the outside world. And see, have those Kirin eggs hatched yet?"
===
📢 Life Update + Novel Schedule Changes (╥﹏╥)
Hey beloved readers!
Real Life™ has decided to be extra demanding lately (why must adulting exist?), so there'll be some delays for these novels:
"Hellcoin Billionaire: My Ghost Shop Fuels My Cultivation"
"Reborn as the Fallen Idol, I Leaned Into the Chaos!"
"True Heir of Chaos: From Villainess to Empress"
BUT! Don't worry, these stories are still on track as usual since I've got drafts ready to roll:
"I Became a Fairy And Lived Forever In The Fairy World"
"Crimson Lotus, Divine Path"
"Games Invade Reality"
I'm so sorry for the delay (っ- ‸ – ς)… but I promise I'll jump back into writing as soon as things calm down! (⋟﹏⋞). Thank you all for your patience and support, it means the world. 💖