"The barrier is about to break, get ready. No matter who's inside, they must die."
As the final layer of the glowing seal trembled violently before them, the two men's faces twisted with a mixture of exhaustion and fierce excitement.
Right now, this tomb was like the tantalizing secret hidden beneath a maiden's skirt, an irresistible temptation they had worked a year to unveil. The two of them couldn't wait to charge in and claim their prize.
The next moment, with a sound like shattering crystal, the formation finally gave way, and the massive stone entrance swung wide open into darkness. Without a moment's hesitation, the two rushed inside, their forms blurring with speed, just as the massive door slammed shut behind them with a definitive, echoing boom.
"They're in. Two Fallen Ones. Probably high-ranking members of the Black Seal Society. Fighting me on my home turf like this is practically suicide."
What they didn't know was that a "maiden", at least in appearance, was indeed waiting for them in the shadows.
With Su Min's current enhanced spiritual sense, the moment they stepped inside, she had already seen through their cultivation and dark auras completely.
Two Dao Comprehension stage Fallen, both at the late phase. One of them, the leader, had a peculiarly unstable aura, almost on the verge of breaking into the Unity stage.
If that guy managed to advance mid-fight, things would get genuinely troublesome. As the old saying went, absolute power crushes all techniques.
Though Su Min had now mastered numerous temporary laws, granting her explosively versatile combat power, the qualitative leap into the Unity stage wasn't something easily bridged by raw variety alone.
At that point, while she could likely guarantee her own safety, the tomb itself might not survive the unleashed power of an Emperor artifact or a Unity-stage battle, and that would disastrously disrupt her ongoing inheritance process.
She wasn't addicted to this borrowed strength, but she needed to experience it fully to reach greater heights and solidify her own path.
So this legacy truly mattered to her.
She sometimes envied Xie Yingying and Tian Hao; their powerful inheritances had been like enlightenment poured directly into their souls, straightforward and immense.
Meanwhile, she always had to jump through hoops and pass arduous trials repeatedly. But as the other saying went: What's yours will come to you; what isn't can't be forced.
Having lived this long, Su Min had long since made peace with such things. Her path was her own.
"Two late-stage Dao Comprehension cultivators. Let's see what you've got," she murmured to herself.
"Last time I faced one of your kind, I had to use that 'toy' the Great Desolate Saint gave me. This time, I'll test you properly with my own power."
With that thought, Su Min's figure silently dissipated from her hiding spot, merging with the shadows of the chamber.
This battle was a test, for herself and her new understandings.
No cheap ambushes. No underhanded tricks. A straight fight to measure her growth.
Besides, she still had her real trump cards in reserve: Her Emperor artifact, usable once a month; Several life-saving Grade 7 high-rank pills; And a seemingly bottomless stockpile of powerful expendable elixirs.
In fact, Su Min had quietly earned another nickname across the continent: The Continent's Richest Woman.
Countless people had witnessed her mid-battle pill-popping sprees, swallowing elixirs worth a king's ransom like they were mere candy. Naturally, many had silently cursed her profligacy. But curses aside, no one was reckless enough to try robbing the woman who could single-handedly dismantle entire sects.
"Something's wrong, Sixth Brother. Do you actually know what's inside that lunatic's tomb? Back then, he had his own minor sect. After I woke up, I heard the younger generations talk about it, those divine beasts he messed with wanted revenge, to sever his legacy completely. But in the end, they found nothing. Not a single trace."
The moment they entered the main hall, the two were greeted by a floor littered with metallic puppet remains and several massive, now-open stone coffins.
This immediately set off all their alarm bells. They'd expected dangers in a Great Emperor's tomb, but not this.
Clearly, someone had already cleared the path ahead. Though the puppets were now just scrap, their residual aura was unmistakable; these had been Dao Comprehension stage combatants in their prime.
A hallway paved with Dao Comprehension puppet limbs right at the entrance?
This place reeked of death and proven power.
"A Great Emperor's tomb isn't so easily explored, Eighth Brother. Not just for us, even a careless Unity stage expert could die in here."
Lao Liu's voice was deceptively calm, belying his own unease.
"That person only entered less than a year ago. Even with the most bountiful gains, they can't fully assimilate that much power in such a short time. The two of us working together can kill them easily." 'Otherwise, I wouldn't have brought you along.'
Of course, that last part was spoken only inwardly. Compared to the earlier-awakened stragglers, the Black Seal Society's higher ranks were more united, relatively speaking.
If he could have monopolized the treasure, he'd never have invited Lao Ba. But precisely because of the potential dangers, he'd needed backup. Now, bound by powerful blood oaths, they could at least fight back-to-back with some trust.
So the two pressed forward cautiously, passing room after room, all eerily cleared out and silent.
For them, the path was unobstructed, which was somehow more unnerving than any trap.
Until they entered a vast chamber and froze,
"Hiss... A Taotie. A genuine Unity stage Taotie corpse. At its peak, this thing had at least late-stage Dao Comprehension power!!!"
Staring at the massive, dismantled beast's remains, the two finally showed clear traces of horror. This was a Unity stage mythical beast. Its body was its natural dharma form. Even for the two of them working in concert, facing this thing in its prime would've been perilous. Yet someone had systematically dismantled it.
At that moment, both men instinctively considered retreating. Whoever was inside wasn't just 'not simple'—they were a monster.
But just as they turned to flee back the way they came,
BOOM!
The heavy stone door behind them slammed shut with finality, sealing them in.
Then a voice, cool and composed, yet carrying a distinct hint of playful malice, echoed from the darkness around them.
"Since you're here... why not stay awhile?"
"!!!"
The two whirled around in shock, their weapons instantly appearing in their hands. They'd entered each chamber with extreme caution, their spiritual senses stretched to the limit to avoid ambushes. Yet someone had silently slipped behind them, sealed their only exit, and now spoke to them like a ghost in the night.
For two powerful late-Dao Comprehension cultivators, this was straight out of a horror story.
Naturally, that "ghost" was Su Min.
If she'd attacked the moment they entered the tomb, these two might've managed to escape back outside. And the resulting energy overflow from a battle at the entrance would've certainly alerted the Heavenly God Sect, turning this into a public spectacle, the exact opposite of her intentions.
So she'd patiently lured them deeper into the labyrinthine tomb, then cut off their retreat. Though this was the Puppet Emperor's tomb, the Medicine Buddha had heavily modified it. With the Medicine Cauldron in hand, Su Min had a degree of control over the chambers she'd already cleared.
As for why they hadn't detected her presence?
It was simple; her temporary boost in spiritual power crushed theirs.
Unless she willed it or launched an attack, they'd never sense her.
And even if she did strike, ambushing two veterans of their level effectively would've been nearly impossible anyway.
Besides, right now, Su Min wanted practice, not instant kills. She needed to test her new capabilities.
"Who are you?!"
The voice, sounding like they were encountering a vengeful spirit in a haunted graveyard, was downright terrifying to them. Instantly, their black robes exploded outward in a surge of dark energy, revealing gleaming, high-grade armor beneath as they drew their wicked-looking weapons.
"Earth-grade low-rank armor and two Earth-grade high-rank artifacts? Looks like I'll be getting some extra loot today," Su Min's lips curled into a slight smile as she finally stepped forward from the shadows, hovering midair in the center of the chamber.
"As for who I am... don't you recognize me?"
The moment the dim light fell on her face, both men's expressions twisted in dawning horror and recognition.
They knew this person.
The world's publicly acknowledged top alchemy grandmaster.
The holder of the legendary Five Elements Holy Body, Su Min.
"It's you?! Impossible! Weren't you supposed to be in the Damo Ancient Realm receiving an inheritance? Why are you here?!"
Seeing Su Min appear before them, their faces finally changed completely, all color draining away.
As mentioned earlier, the number of people on the continent who could genuinely threaten them could be counted on one hand. And one of them was standing right before them.
Whether it was the Lunar Sovereign Physique or the Great Desolate Holy Body, they were familiar with those legendary constitutions; their names had been renowned throughout history.
But the Five Elements Holy Body was different, more enigmatic.
Throughout the ages, only one Five Elements Holy Body had truly left its mark on history: the original Five Elements Great Emperor.
If Su Min reached that level, she'd be the second.
Though rumors about the Holy Body's specific abilities had spread widely, for these two ancient beings, those were just surface-level gossip. Moreover, everything they knew suggested Su Min's combat power was absurdly exaggerated, with an endless stream of trump cards and resources.
By their internal estimates, killing Su Min would require at least three of their top members working together, including one of the top three seats. No matter how confident they were, facing Su Min alone in an enclosed space was a recipe for a losing battle.
Her known combat power already surpassed even the Great Desolate Saint's, who relied on pure physical might.
And as an alchemy grandmaster, her pill and elixir reserves were considered bottomless.
Worse, Su Min had already had the perfect chance to ambush them, but instead, she'd walked out openly, sealed their exit, and was now clearly planning to fight them to the death here.
Instantly, their courage wavered. The risks had far exceeded their expectations; this wasn't worth dying for.
"So you know quite a bit. Did that traitor from Future Maitreya Mountain tell you?" Hearing that they knew her previous supposed whereabouts, Su Min chuckled lightly. For normal Dao Comprehension cultivators, seclusion for a century or two after a major breakthrough was normal. Her reappearing so soon was unusual. But their information networks were clearly outdated, and Su Min hadn't grown noticeably in base cultivation from their perspective.
"So he did die by your hand?"
Su Min's casual words made their expressions even uglier.
They'd already assumed those three sent to Future Maitreya Mountain were dead, but now, seeing Su Min confirm it so offhandedly, it was all but set in stone.
"What do you think? Want to try for revenge?" Su Min shrugged indifferently, as if discussing the weather.
She truly didn't care if they knew. Her enmity with the Fallen was public knowledge, or at least, everyone on the surface claimed to oppose them.
"He lost because he was weak. That's none of our concern," Lao Liu said quickly, trying to de-escalate. "If Lady Su is willing to let us leave, we'll depart immediately and never speak of this place or return."
"Still the same old tune. Do you really think that's possible after you broke my seclusion?" Su Min's smile turned icy, her eyes narrowing. "Today, I just happen to need some live exercise. Since you're already here... why not fight until dawn?"
The moment her words fell, the atmosphere in the chamber solidified.
Clang!
A familiar silver-black armor shimmered into existence, encasing her body in its protective embrace.
Then she blurred, her sword already descending toward the stronger sixth elder with zero finesse, just raw, overwhelming, earth-shattering force.
BANG!!!
An ear-splitting metallic collision erupted, followed by shockwaves that would've pulverized any normal Core Formation cultivator standing nearby. The speed. The power. Both far exceeded the two's initial expectations.
Before Lao Ba could even fully react to assist,
Splat!
Blood sprayed into the air as his companion was launched backward like a ragdoll, his armor groaning in protest. This chamber, though technically a "room," was massive enough to fit a small mountain. So Lao Liu flew far, crashing into the distant wall with a sickening crunch.
"DIE!"
Though shocked, Lao Ba reacted swiftly. His Earth-grade high-rank saber, infused with terrifying corrosive energy, slashed toward Su Min's seemingly unguarded neck.
Appearing this close to him after her attack?
Suicidal.
CLANG!!!
But another metallic screech rang out, jarring his nerves. Because to his horror, Su Min had blocked the devastating strike, not with her sword, but by raising a single armored forearm. And what chilled him to the bone even more,
"Why... why do you have the Taotie's Devouring Law?! And not just that, I sense multiple laws on you?! How?!"
"No need for you to know. Hmph!"
Su Min couldn't be bothered to explain her temporary buffs to her enemies.
Because at that moment, from the shadows where Lao Liu had fallen,
Whoosh!
A concentrated beam of sinister, soul-piercing energy, angled with lethal precision, shot toward her back.
Forced to divert her attention, Su Min swung her sword in a wide arc behind her,
"Five Elements Cycle Slash!"
A brilliant, prismatic sword beam erupted, clashing with and obliterating the sneak attack in a shower of sparks. But that split-second distraction was all Lao Ba needed to disengage, retreating swiftly to his companion's side. Lao Liu was in a sorry shape, struggling to his feet, blood trickling from the corner of his lips.
"Good... good. As expected of the legendary Five Elements Holy Body, capable of wielding multiple heaven-sent treasures and laws simultaneously."
Lao Liu wiped his mouth, his eyes glinting with a mixture of pain and renewed murderous intent.
"But earlier, the laws I felt within you weren't just one, and they felt... rootless. You're in the middle of receiving an inheritance here, aren't you? These powers aren't truly yours yet."
"Not bad insight," Su Min smirked, not denying it. This guy wasn't just strong, he was well-informed, quickly noticing the transient nature of her current state.
Hearing her confirmation, Lao Liu's face darkened further. If he'd already reached the Unity stage, these "borrowed tricks" would've been far less effective against him, easily crushed by the qualitative difference of a true Dharma Body.
But at his current level?
Without having reforged his own laws into a proper dharma body, he couldn't use higher-level law suppression to simply ignore Su Min's flashy, versatile techniques. Just thinking about the gap made him despair. Lao Ba wasn't much better off; he was slightly weaker to begin with, after all.
"Show me your full strength... and then you can die."
Su Min's voice was ice-cold, settling into a ready stance. This battle was to test her own limits, and to better comprehend these temporary laws through real, life-and-death combat. Meaningless slaughter held no value for her growth.
This was something the mindless puppets could never offer her.
"Damn that Puppet Emperor to hell..." Lao Liu's face twisted into a bitter, resigned snarl.
In his mind, the pieces finally clicked into a horrifying picture: they were clearly just pawns, unwittingly set up by the long-dead Emperor to test and temper his chosen successor. They had walked right into a trap.