In a heavily restricted area of the Immortal Sect's back mountain, Su Min observed the scene below with a critical eye.
At the center of the massive, humming Five Elements Formation lay a cluster of multicolored eggs, each emitting a unique, soft radiance. These were nearly all the Kirin eggs Su Min had painstakingly brought back from her interstellar journey. Among them, the jet black Ink Kirin egg pulsed with a particularly faint, stubborn light.
"Even the Ink Kirin has not hatched yet? It seems impatience will not help here." Su Min sighed helplessly at the dormant eggs. This was not something she could rush with force or will. Fortunately, a vibrant, potent life energy emanated from all of them, easing her concerns slightly. If anything catastrophic happened to these Kirin, their outright extinction would be trivial compared to her losing access to the Central Wutu Divine Earth forever.
"Time to find the Little Golden Crow and finally refine my weapon." With a final, lingering glance at the eggs, Su Min vanished from the spot in a ripple of distorted space. Her available time was not particularly long or short; she had other pressing matters to attend to, while the Kirin would simply require patience.
Soon, beneath the ancient, towering Fusang Tree at the heart of the Eastern Mulberry Province...
"You acquired three more eggs?" When Su Min located the Little Golden Crow, the latter was carefully placing several golden shelled, sun patterned eggs into a fissure venting pure Yang geothermal energy. Their unique, blazing energy signatures revealed their origins immediately.
"My progress in repopulating is already slow enough. Including me, there are only three adult Golden Crows in this world now. Adding two more will stretch the Fusang Divine Tree's nourishing energy thin. Ten active nests is likely the absolute limit it can support." The Little Golden Crow rolled her eyes, a gesture of divine exasperation. Compared to humans' rapid, prodigious reproduction, their supreme divine beast species' growth was painstakingly, agonizingly slow.
"Can we melt this weapon together?" Su Min cut straight to the point, producing the ancient, blood stained sword from her spatial ring.
"A Heaven grade high level artifact?" The Little Golden Crow's brow furrowed as she examined the spiritually weathered blade, sensing the profound power still locked within it.
"Yes." Su Min felt no sentimental attachment to the weapon she could not properly use. Melting it down posed no moral dilemma for her, only a technical challenge. She knew this level of artifact could withstand the heat of a star's core; ordinary heavenly flames would not even damage it. Only the most special heavenly flames or the direct power of supreme Mahayana stage cultivators could hope to refine it.
So far, in all her travels, Su Min knew of only four genuine heavenly flames: the Little Golden Crow's Solar True Flame, Jiang Xi's Lunar True Flame, her own Nanming Lihuo, and her disciple Lin Yao's Nether Ghost Flame.
The latter two were clearly unsuitable for this delicate task. That left only their combined efforts as a viable option.
"We can try. But be warned, success or failure, the clash of our powers might destroy it completely. It is a risk." After a moment of silent contemplation, the Little Golden Crow agreed. Though the Golden Crow Clan possessed two Emperor's Artifacts, one of them exceptionally powerful, Heaven grade high level artifacts were not commonplace treasures.
"No problem. I killed its original owner, and his specific techniques are nearly lost to time. I will never wield it properly even if I keep it." Su Min remained utterly indifferent. Strictly speaking, the techniques were not completely lost; the cultivator alliance on that planet had recovered fragments of them. The original owner's methods were not inherently evil, just fundamentally incompatible with her own Five Elements path.
If someone there cultivated sufficiently in the future, they might one day use this sword. But that concerned Su Min little; she had already saved their world from a worse fate. Their distant future was their own to forge.
"Then let us begin." Seeing Su Min's firm resolve, the Little Golden Crow stopped hesitating. Raising her hand, brilliant, searing golden flames erupted from her palm. Simultaneously, a deep crimson light flickered to life around Su Min's own hand.
The moment their flames manifested, the Little Golden Crow's eyebrow twitched in surprise. "Tch." The two contrasting flames now burned with seemingly equal intensity and potency, which was a surprise, as Su Min's Nanming Lihuo had always been slightly inferior in pure destructive power before.
"It is the Five Elements Holy Body's uniqueness. My foundation is more balanced now. With the final Central Wutu Divine Earth, the synergistic effect would be even more dramatic. Enough talk, let us proceed." Su Min briefly explained before intensifying her output. The crimson blaze roared and engulfed the floating weapon completely as the Little Golden Crow joined her power, adding a torrent of golden fire.
Instantly, violent energy turbulence shook the surrounding area, making the very air shimmer. Nearby spirit beasts, drawn by the commotion, gaped at the spectacular display.
"What are the mistress and Lady Su doing?" An elder who had transformed from a powerful spirit beast murmured in awe. At his late stage Divine Transformation level, even the stray energy waves from this process could reduce him to ashes. The might of true Dao Comprehension experts was truly terrifying, though he knew his own bloodline limited any hope of further advancement.
Countless curious gazes turned toward the fiery phenomenon at the Fusang Tree, yet none dared to investigate closer, respecting the immense power at play.
A full month passed in what felt like mere moments for the two focused women.
Under the relentless, dual refinement of the Nanming Lihuo and the Solar True Flame, the stubborn Heaven grade high level weapon finally lost its original form, liquefying into a swirling, molten orb of metallic essence. Its former spiritual properties and engravings were irrevocably erased. Even if it were reshaped now, it could never regain its previous exalted grade.
"Now!" Without a moment of hesitation, Su Min summoned her own trusted, slender sword from her dantian. It shot forward like a silver fish, plunging into the heart of the molten metal, eagerly devouring and assimilating the potent material.
Dazzling, prismatic light erupted from the consuming weapon as dark, roiling thunderclouds gathered menacingly overhead, drawn by the birth of a new power.
"Thunder manifests when true Heaven grade artifacts emerge." The Little Golden Crow opened her eyes, her expression serious. Heaven grade artifacts always triggered celestial phenomena; only after enduring these heavenly tribulations could they be considered genuine. Their power far surpassed that of Earth grade artifacts. To Su Min now, Earth grade weapons might as well be paper toys.
"Go." Su Min's eyes flashed with determination as her sword, now glowing with an unstable, voracious light, shot skyward to meet its destiny.
Boom! Colossal, silvery purple lightning bolts descended from the clouds, striking the evolving weapon with a force sufficient to injure even Su Min herself if she took the blow directly.
"Aren't you worried it will shatter?" The Little Golden Crow asked, watching the violent bombardment.
"If it fails, that is its limit. I will simply forge a new one upon reaching the Unity stage." Though this sword had accompanied her since the day she severed that Niu Ma's head upon first transmigrating, a lifetime ago, it was time for its final evolution. More importantly, she had absolute confidence in this particular weapon. This system bestowed sword had no true upper limit. The system's gifts, like her Immortality and Heavenly Dao Insight ability, had all proven to be extraordinary beyond measure.
As expected, after what felt like an eternity of thunderous punishment, the storm gradually dissipated, and the sword, now gleaming with a new, profound light, descended smoothly into Su Min's waiting grasp. The moment her fingers closed around the hilt, a sharp, overwhelming sword energy surged skyward, forcing both women to instinctively erect spiritual barriers rather than face the uncontrolled outburst head on.
"Heaven grade low level artifact, the Five Elements Holy Sword." Su Min admired the blade now radiating a terrifying, harmonious aura. Finally, she had a proper, dedicated offensive weapon, instead of relying solely on the massive Buddha projection with its exhausting spiritual demands. The sword's effect was straightforward and devastating, it amplified all of her Five Elements based attacks, especially their combined force. It was a perfect, symbiotic match for her physique.
"Whew." The Little Golden Crow exhaled in palpable relief; the prolonged, concentrated effort had drained her somewhat, even with her vast reserves.
"Your power has grown again. Good, because I must enter seclusion once more, and for a long time." She announced, turning to Su Min.
"Hmm?" While still examining the intricate patterns now etched into her new weapon, Su Min started at the sudden declaration.
"I am preparing to breakthrough to the Unity stage. It will be a lengthy process. Given my supreme bloodline, progression all the way to Mahayana is virtually guaranteed without major bottlenecks. But surpassing that..." Her voice trailed off, the unspoken words hanging heavy with meaning.
"Throughout all of recorded eternity, humans have dominated the emperor realm. All other races combined have produced only a handful; two or three each for the Golden Crows and the Dragons, at most." Su Min's brow furrowed in thought. She knew the five supreme physiques' known upper limit was Mahayana, but breaking through to the Ascension stage depended on far more than just innate gifts.
Apart from the legendary, theoretical Chaos Physique, all Mahayana peak experts stood essentially equal before that final, insurmountable hurdle.
"So you are aiming for that supreme realm after all?" Su Min's question carried significant weight, knowing that attempting emperorhood invited unimaginable dangers and heavenly tribulations.
"My primary duty is ensuring the Golden Crow lineage's continuation. Reaching for Ascension is not my current concern." The Little Golden Crow replied, her tone final.
"I see." Su Min nodded, understanding the unspoken pressures of her position, and offered no further comment.
"Seclude yourself with peace of mind. I will oversee things here temporarily. Even in my absence, the two beast kings can manage most affairs." Their triumvirate leadership had always maintained an unspoken rule, to never all be in seclusion simultaneously. At least one of them remained active at all times, ensuring the sect's and the province's ultimate safety.
With the ancient, immensely powerful Golden Crow Formation actively protecting the entire Eastern Mulberry Province, a single Dao Comprehension stage guardian usually sufficed. Unless Su Min repeated her previous, infamous sect exterminating expedition by mobilizing all the continent's top tier combatants, even the dreaded Black Seal would not attack such a fortified position rashly. Despite their power, Fallen Ones ultimately remained cowardly at heart, avoiding certain death.
"Mm." The Little Golden Crow simply nodded. Then, her form dissolved into a brilliant, compact golden orb of light and vanished deep into the heart of the Fusang Tree, her aura disappearing from the world.
Su Min, meanwhile, shot into the sky like a meteor, streaking toward the Immortal Sect's main peak. At her current cultivation level, traversing entire provinces took little more than a thought. Soon, she landed gracefully within the main courtyard.
"Yingying has not returned yet?" A quick spiritual scan of the sect confirmed Xie Yingying's continued absence. Su Min was not overly worried; she knew exactly where the other woman had gone for the grand assembly.
"How long does this conference need to last? She has been gone over a month, should she not be back by now?" Su Min had learned about the new cross continent sect assembly upon exiting her seclusion. While the idea of unifying the continent against the Fallen Ones was ideal in theory, she deeply doubted the outcome. Human nature dictated the need for a single, recognized leader, a position of authority that even Su Min, with all her power, could not securely fill. Only a figure like Yao Xian'er had that kind of inherent, unifying authority, and yet she had departed the world under mysterious circumstances.
True to her pessimistic expectations, a message from Xie Yingying arrived via a jade slip the very next day.
"Of course they are quarreling." Reading the frustrated report, Su Min could not help but massage her temples in exasperation. Even while facing an imminent, continent wide catastrophe, they still bickered over status, territory, and who would lead the alliance. The old adage rang painfully true, it was better to lose to outsiders than to concede an advantage to one's kin.
"I hope they wake up to reality soon. In the meantime, it is time for me to attempt eighth grade alchemy." Shaking her head at the folly of politics, Su Min acknowledged that even with her power and status, she could not claim that fractious leadership mantle. Her path lay in a different, more tangible direction, strengthening herself and her allies through the art of the pill.