The air suddenly fell completely silent as four people, eight eyes in total, stared at each other in wide eyed astonishment.
Su Min's appearance had been far too abrupt, leaving both sides momentarily stunned. Even with their high cultivation levels and centuries of experience, the group was briefly dumbfounded. However, Su Min was the first to regain her composure, and without a single moment of hesitation, she turned tail and fled.
"Fuck me, now I have to fight one against three?!" she cursed inwardly, her mind racing. These were no ordinary Dao Comprehension stage cultivators, they were fallen ones, corrupted and unpredictable. She didn't even know what kind of twisted laws they wielded, yet here she was, forced into a one versus three battle right from the start.
Back then, fighting just one had been perilous enough. These three were undoubtedly far stronger than that unlucky fellow whose backup plans she had systematically dismantled. Engaging them now, without any preparation, would be genuinely dangerous, possibly even fatal.
"Su Min?!" As Su Min shamelessly turned to flee, Liao Xin, one of the three pursuers, finally snapped out of his daze and erupted in pure, unadulterated fury. "Kill her!!!" He charged forward without a second thought, and after a quick, silent exchange of glances, the other two fallen ones followed closely behind. This was an unexpected windfall, a chance to eliminate their greatest nuisance. No matter how strong Su Min was, she stood no chance against their combined assault.
"Right here." Though Su Min was retreating, she wasn't running blindly. Her destination was clear, the location of the group from the Great Thunder Temple. She desperately needed allies to share the burden, fighting one against three was no joke. Besides, these three had originally been targeting the Great Thunder Temple's group anyway. This mess wasn't even her primary problem. As she fled, she deliberately released her aura at full, dazzling intensity, sending an overwhelming, beacon like pressure cascading down from the sky, impossible to miss.
Sure enough, soon after Su Min's brilliant display, two powerful golden lights approached rapidly. Kong Hui and Kong Chen arrived before her in an instant, their expressions a mix of confusion and alarm. "Benefactor Su, what is this...?" Seeing Su Min in such a disheveled, fleeing state left the two momentarily confused. In their memories, Su Min had always been flamboyant and confident, and rightfully so, given her immense strength. But what was happening now?
"Three late stage Dao Comprehension fallen ones are coming for you all. That damn Imperial Artifact tossed me right in front of them. One of them seems to be a 'traitor' once expelled from Future Maitreya Mountain. I can't handle them alone." As she spoke, Su Min glanced back over her shoulder. The three pursuers had already caught up, their sinister auras closing in, instantly plunging the situation into a tense, high stakes standoff.
Three late stage Dao Comprehension powerhouses on their side, while Su Min's group had one late stage and two mid stage Dao Comprehension cultivators. The remaining Dao Comprehension cultivator from the Great Thunder Temple had evidently led a group of disciples away earlier to safety. Though he was also at the Dao Comprehension stage, his foundation was far weaker than the others present, so he wisely stayed out of this direct confrontation.
"Well, well, if it isn't Liao Xin. You're still alive, and it seems you never entered the cycle of reincarnation after all?" Recognizing the leader, Kong Chen spoke up, his voice cold. In response, one of the figures tore off his concealing black robe, revealing a gleaming bald head and blood red robes, a monk whose very appearance was unsettling and unholy.
"Kong Chen, step aside. Today, I will claim this woman's life." Liao Xin's voice was a low growl, filled with venom.
"Then come and try," Su Min retorted before Kong Chen could formulate a response, stepping forward defiantly. "Let's see if you have what it takes." Though her previous battle with that other fallen one had left her battered, Su Min had yet to play her ultimate trump card, a high grade seventh tier enhancement pill. Back then, she had taken recovery pills, but none were the life risking, all out boosters she kept in reserve. Even if this opponent was stronger at his peak, so what? She wasn't without her own desperate measures.
"Be careful," Kong Chen warned quietly, his eyes never leaving Liao Xin. "This man was once the eldest disciple of the founder of Future Maitreya Mountain. At his peak, he was at least at the early Mahayana stage, and he hadn't even reached three thousand years of age, meaning he still had immense room for growth before his... fall."
"Understood." Su Min narrowed her eyes, her gaze sharpening. The moment their eyes met, sparks of tangible killing intent flew in the air.
"So you were only 'expelled' on the surface, huh? Not that it matters. I've already buried Future Maitreya Mountain in its coffin, might as well hammer in the final nail myself." After a brief, cold reply to Kong Chen, Su Min stepped forward decisively. Brilliant, multi hued light radiated from her body as the shimmering silhouettes of the Four Heavenly Treasures and the majestic forms of the Four Divine Beasts flickered into existence around her, layering their power upon her own.
"You—" Even Liao Xin's composure wavered at the sight. The combined spiritual pressure of facing the Four Heavenly Treasures was no joke, a weight that pressed down on the soul.
"Be cautious," Liao Xin warned the other two fallen ones solemnly, not taking his eyes off Su Min. "Kong Hui and Kong Chen were both late stage Mahayana powerhouses at their peak. Though they've gone through multiple reincarnations and are weaker now, don't underestimate them just because you have a minor advantage in current cultivation."
Among the six present, three were fallen ones who had once been genuine Mahayana stage experts, two were reincarnated cultivators who had reached Mahayana multiple times in past lives, and Su Min, who was just one step away from mastering the legendary Five Elements Holy Body. This battle was destined to be a clash of titans. None of them were weak by any measure.
Soon, both sides locked onto their chosen targets. In an instant, dazzling golden light erupted around Su Min as Kong Hui and Kong Chen activated their Great Sun Tathāgata Golden Bodies, their forms becoming radiant and immense as they flanked her. Not to be outdone, and in keeping with local customs, Su Min channeled the Great Sun Tathāgata Sutra herself.
Almost immediately, a spectacular, multicolored Great Sun Tathāgata apparition materialized behind her, its aura a unique blend of Buddhist purity and elemental fury, drawing surprised and appreciative glances from Kong Hui and Kong Chen.
"Benefactor Su's comprehension is truly exceptional. Even with only the mental cultivation method and no formal transmission, she can manifest a golden body infused with the power of the Four Heavenly Treasures."
"Not bad. Just don't hold me back later." Su Min gave Kong Hui a bland look before taking the initiative. The two brothers might have a tacit fighting agreement, but she couldn't seamlessly coordinate with them. In fact, their conflicting elemental laws might even hinder each other if they fought too closely. So she decisively chose to fight alone, to carve out her own space.
In a flash, she turned into a streak of iridescent light, delivering a powerful flying kick straight at Liao Xin's chest.
"Time law?!" As expected of the Sinful Buddha's eldest disciple, he instantly recognized the temporal distortion around her movement. He hastily gathered his power to block, but the next moment, a tremendous, concentrated force sent him flying backward. Su Min's supersonic kick launched both of them hundreds of kilometers away from the main group, their bodies leaving brilliant trails like meteors across the sky. This strike wasn't meant to kill, it was just to carve out a separate, private battlefield.
The moment Su Min dragged Liao Xin away, the battle for the others erupted anew, golden light and dark energy clashing violently.
Elsewhere, in the newly formed battlefield
BOOM!
With a deafening crash, Liao Xin finally repelled Su Min, creating some distance. The two came to a standstill on a barren plain, while the area far behind them was already completely engulfed in the glow of the other battle.
"Good, very good. A mere mid stage Dao Comprehension cultivator dares to strike so directly at me?" Liao Xin sneered at Su Min, who was now clad head to toe in her ominous black gold armor, only her fierce, crimson eyes visible through the helm. Suddenly, a massive, blood red sun began to rise behind him, painting the sky in hues of violence.
"Taste the despair of the future, Mara's Bloody Body!!!"
BOOM!!!
In an instant, the entire sector of the secret realm was shrouded in its malevolent, oppressive aura. Liao Xin no longer cared if the Imperial Artifact detected him. The moment Su Min appeared before him, he knew there was no turning back, the die was cast. Only one being could teleport a mid stage Dao Comprehension cultivator right in front of him with such precision, the Imperial Artifact controlling this realm itself.
"Mara the Demon Buddha? 'The Dharma's end destroys the heavens; Mara slays the Tathāgata'?" Su Min studied the monstrous, three faced, six armed bloody figure with clinical interest, noting its blasphemous mimicry of a true Buddha.
"Hmph." Liao Xin ignored her taunts. His six arms whirled into a blur, unleashing terrifying, chaotic waves of destructive power.
"Annihilation Law?!" Su Min gasped, recognizing the signature. Just the name alone spoke volumes, this was an overwhelmingly domineering and destructive law. Though her Time Law was powerful and profound, it was more supportive and control based in nature, not suited for direct, explosive destruction. But this was different. The Mara's Bloody Body acted as a potent amplifier, unleashing the Annihilation Law with terrifying, raw force. In an instant, the mountains and rock formations within dozens of kilometers were flattened into dust by the mere prelude of its power.
"Interesting. Time—Slow to a Halt!!!" Unfazed, Su Min attempted to freeze the local flow of time around him. But the moment she tried, she knew it was impossible. The chaotic, disruptive energy of the Annihilation Law shredded the temporal fabric around them. Given Liao Xin's peak strength and experience, his comprehension and control of laws surpassed hers even in his current weakened state.
Without hesitation, Su Min shot forward like a comet, her slender sword flashing in her hand. Each strike she launched carried a fraction of the divine artifacts' power, miniature annihilation blasts of her own, a technique inspired by her deep study of the Five Elements Ancient Scripture. Her goal was simple, to carve a path straight through his defenses.
"So fast!!!" Even Liao Xin was startled as Su Min closed the distance in a blink, her form a blur. Though he knew it was largely due to her law's effects on her own movement, her ability to cleave through his nascent annihilation waves spoke volumes about her offensive power.
"Die!!!" His six armed deity lashed out with an unnatural, twisting motion, all six palms aiming to crush Su Min into paste.
"Thousand Hand Floating Temple!!!" But in response, a magnificent, multi colored phantom appeared behind Su Min. Countless ethereal fists made of condensed elemental energy met the six arms head on in a spectacular display.
BOOM!
A colossal shockwave erupted from the point of impact, shaking the very foundation of the secret realm around them.
"Powerful fighters are battling, at least late stage Dao Comprehension... no, possibly even higher! Everyone, retreat!!!" Every other faction still exploring the realm sensed the terrifying disturbance and scrambled to flee toward the exits. The terrifying energy fluctuations were unmistakably beyond ordinary Dao Comprehension levels. Worse yet, there were three such sources of cataclysmic power. This was far beyond their pay grade. Even the few early stage Dao Comprehension cultivators present felt that a single, careless brush with those energies could leave them severely injured or worse.
Back on the main battlefield
Su Min had already closed in on Liao Xin, ignoring the shockwave.
"Five Elements Primordial Strike!!!" Her weapon blazed with radiant, harmonious light as she thrust directly at Liao Xin's core.
Hmph!
But in the next moment, two of the blood Buddha's massive hands clamped down on her blade with a sound like thunder, barehanded blade catching!
"You're bold, catching my attack barehanded." Su Min smirked beneath her helmet. The instant those energy hands touched her sword
BOOM!!!
Another deafening explosion rocked the battlefield. No one had ever dared to do this before. Every one of her strikes carried devastating, pent up elemental power. A single, full powered slash could reduce a mountain the size of Everest to rubble below sea level. Naturally, the ensuing point blank detonation obliterated the blood Buddha apparition's hands and upper arms, sending Liao Xin himself flying backward through the air. He barely managed to stabilize himself midair, but his spiritual manifestation's hands were left mangled and dripping with corrosive, black blood. For a Dao Comprehension cultivator, this was manageable damage, but painful. An ordinary person would have been vaporized entirely.
"Good, very good. Mara's Blood Sacrifice, Demon Buddha's Descent!!!" Liao Xin laughed coldly at his bloodied hands. In an instant, his mangled hands regenerated, the flesh knitting back together with a sickening sound. Then, clasping them together in an arcane seal, he summoned forth a massive, tattered scroll that unfurled in the air before him, radiating a sickly, potent aura.
[Heavenly High Grade Treasure: Mara's Blood Sacrifice Scroll]
"Finally." Su Min's heart sank. This was it, the moment she had been dreading, she was about to face a fully activated Heavenly High Grade treasure head on. Last time, she had tricked her opponent, using the environment and his own arrogance to secure a victory without facing the weapon's full might. But now, with no such opportunity for deception, she had no choice but to fight it head on.
With a flip of her hand, a peculiar, unassuming orb appeared in her palm, its surface swirling with chaotic energy. "Hope you're useful. It's too early to take those life burning pills." Su Min grinned inwardly. This was the "toy" given to her by the Great Desolate Holy Body, Yao Xian'er. For him, with his monstrous physique, it was just a curious plaything, but for her, it was a formidable, one time trump card. Against a true Unity stage expert, it might be limited. But against a late stage Dao Comprehension cultivator, even one wielding a Heaven Grade treasure? It was more than enough to turn the tide.